Insanity
by UnRealityCheck
Summary: Harry has won the war against Voldemort, and now must win the war to restore Ginny's sanity. HPGW, Implied RWHG -COMPLETE-
1. The Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the works by JK Rowling. I, like so many others, am merely borrowing them as a basis for my own work of fanfiction.

**Insanity **

**Chapter One – The Aftermath **

**_October 31, 2001, 11:30pm at the Burrow _**

"No! Stay away from me!" The young woman thrashed on her bed as she cried out in her sleep.

"Why are you doing this to me! I thought you loved me!"

"Why, Harry, why are you hurting me, I love you!"

"Please, Harry, stop ... don't do this!"

Molly Weasley sighed as she stood in the door of her daughter's bedroom, watching her thrashing in her sleep. She had been like this almost every night for the past two years. She didn't sleep much more than an hour or two every night.

Molly hated watching her daughter suffer, knowing there wasn't a thing she could do to help. They had tried everything they could think of, St. Mungo's, healers, counselors, muggle psychiatrists and psychologists. Nothing had helped.

Most of the time Ginny was just fine, normal even. But then something would trigger an _episode_, as they had started to call them. During these episodes, Ginny would change. Sometimes she would cower in fear, other times she would lash out in rage and anger, still other times she would physically or magically attack people. It had gotten to the point where they could not allow Ginny to go out on her own, someone would always go with Ginny – either Molly, Arthur, one of their sons, or Hermione. They couldn't even let her have her wand when she went out for fear that she would curse someone.

Molly's heart was breaking in her chest. It was so unfair, what had happened. Ginny had gotten together with the man of her dreams in her sixth year at Hogwarts. Even with the ongoing war, and the tensions that came with being the girlfriend of the Boy-who-lived, their relationship had blossomed. They had gotten engaged after she graduated from Hogwarts, but had put off their wedding until after he was done with Auror training and she was done with her training as a medi-witch.

For several years, she watched them build their relationship and get closer to one another. Through all of the separations that their training programs had forced upon them, they kept getting closer. Long letters kept their owls busy as the Boy-who-lived poured out his heart and soul to the Girl-who-survived, and she poured hers back. When they were able to get together on the rare occasions that their schedules allowed, the love they shared was an almost visible thing, shining in the air around them.

Molly shook off her reminiscing and walked to her daughter's bedside. She sat down on the bed next to her and gently rubbed her back, whispering soothingly in an attempt to ease her nightmare.

Ginny woke with a startled scream and sat up gasping for air. When she saw her mother sitting next to her, she grabbed her in a hug and sobbed.

"Why did he do this to me, Mum? What did I ever do to him?"

"Shh, sweetie, he's not here ... he's not here ... you're safe." As she said this, Molly's sad thoughts turned to the other player in this little drama, her almost seventh son, Harry Potter. After the events of two years ago, Harry had been unable to get near Ginny, and as a result had been forced to stay away from most of the family as well. She missed her almost son, and prayed every day that somehow things could all be set right.

Sometimes it almost seemed as though Ginny were getting better. Days could go by without episodes, weeks sometimes, but something always happened. Today had been one of the worst in a long time. She had been so normal for so long, and they had all let their guards down. Then, just a few hours ago, a young child had come to the door trick-or-treating in the latest Boy-who-lived costume.

Ginny had gone on a rampage and they had barely been able to keep her from attacking the young, terrified, boy. Eventually they had to force-feed her a calming potion to get her to settle down and come to bed. Now, the nightmares were back in full force, and it looked as though it would be another long night.

Eventually, her daughter's sobs quieted and she was able to ease her back onto her bed. She gently brushed her daughter's long red hair away from her face and studied her in her repose.

Molly honestly did not know how much longer this could all go on. Even in sleep, her daughter looked taut with fear, her face showing the ravages of almost two years of interrupted sleep and nightmares. Her body was gaunt, displaying the effect of not eating properly for the same length of time. Once again, Molly sent her prayers out, hoping that this time they would be answered.

**_November 1, 2001, 10:00am The Great Wizarding Library of Jerusalem _**

The hush in the Great Wizarding Library of Jerusalem was almost complete. The only sounds were the hushed whispers of the researchers, the scratch of quills against parchment, and the rustling of parchment pages being turned. Charmed crystals glowed over each of the study tables, providing unobtrusive light without the risk torches or candles would pose to the thousands of years of knowledge stored in the scrolls and books that packed the dusty shelves. The cool, dry air was scented with dust, old parchment, jasmine, and lavender.

A thin young man with unruly black hair sat at a study table that held several piles of books and scrolls. His companion was a young woman with long brown hair that was braided into a single plait hanging halfway down her back. The two read mostly in silence with only the occasional hushed sentence or two being exchanged between them.

"Molly said she is getting worse again," Hermione told her best friend gloomily as they worked together trying to find something that would help Ginny get better.

"It is that time of year, you know," Harry answered in a voice so tired that it almost seemed dead. "It's been two years since she was taken ... since I failed to protect her ... since I let her down."

"It wasn't your fault, Harry, you know that!" Hermione said sympathetically, thinking back to the events of two years ago.

Two years ago marked the most violent night since the second war began, and, coincidentally, the beginning of the end for Voldemort. His forces staged massive raids on that Halloween night, raiding Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, the Ministry, several Orphanages and shopping malls, neighborhoods, and St. Mungo's.

The Aurors, Hit Wizards, and Order members were stretched to the breaking point trying to beat back the Death Eaters. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and many others were pressed into service even though they were still in training. Ginny had been at St. Mungo's helping with the steady stream of wounded. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna had all been there as well, called out to reinforce security around the hospital.

In a daring raid, Death Eaters had attacked creating a scene from hell as they fought with the Aurors on duty and with the trainees. Their group of trainees had been tasked to protect a group of injured and the medical personnel assisting them, one of which was Ginny. A Death Eater in disguise had been brought into the hospital as one of the wounded and had kidnapped Ginny right out from under their noses.

Something snapped in Harry that night. Upon learning of her disappearance, he had turned into a death-dealing machine and had almost single-handedly disabled or killed all of the attacking Death Eaters at St. Mungo's.

Following that, Harry had vanished for over 24 hours, finally reappearing at home where Hermione and Ron were waiting for him. When he had come home, at last, his robes were even more tattered and dirty than they had been at St. Mungo's, and he had several fresh wounds that were still bleeding freely. Hermione had never been so scared for her friend than when she had looked into his eyes when he first came home and seen the very depths of hell reflected therein.

She and Ron had helped him heal his injuries, and she had slipped a dreamless sleep potion in with the other healing and restorative potions she fed him. While he slept, she and Ron had contacted Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Fred, George, Charlie, and Bill Weasley.

In the days that followed, Harry had continued his rampage against the DeathEaters, this time with she, Ron, Neville, Luna and the other four Weasley sons by his side. Without even the slightest consideration of the risks or danger, Harry would throw himself into combat situations and create such havoc that they and the other fighters summoned to the conflict were able to win easily, triumphing over many times their number of dark wizards.

All the time he was fighting, Harry was searching for some sign of where Ginny had been taken, some clue as to her location.

It was only after the final battle with Voldemort himself that they had found out where she was. Harry had been amazing in that battle, she could both see and feel the magic coming off of him in waves as he had worked his way through the last of the surviving Death Eaters and confronted Voldemort.

In an almost anti-climactic battle, he defeated Voldemort in a one-on-one duel, locking his spirit away forever in an imprisonment crystal.

She and Ron had captured Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail, during that fight. Under the influence of Veritaserum he revealed that it had been Draco Malfoy that had kidnapped Ginny, and that she was being held at a secret Malfoy property in Wales.

With hardly a pause for rest, Harry and the rest of them had stormed the castle's location. Harry left them behind in his eagerness to rescue his beloved Ginny, and when she and Ron caught up with him deep in the bowels of the dungeon, they were confronted with a sight that they never expected to see.

There before them were two Harry Potters. One of them in robes filthy from the long battle that had just been fought, and the other in pristine robes, both of them attacking each other with curses and spells.

Chained to a table in the small dungeon room, she found an unconscious Ginny, her nude body displaying clear evidence of the torture and abuse that she had been subjected to for the past days. A few minutes after she and Ron had found Ginny, Harry ended the duel in spectacular fashion, blasting his doppelganger completely through a thick, stone dungeon wall with a Reducto curse.

Ginny roused just after that, and to their shock and horror attacked Harry in a rage. It was only after Ron stunned her that calm was restored.

After several days in St. Mungo's having her numerous injuries treated, Ginny awoke to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione by her side. Evidently not seeing Harry at first, Ginny hugged both she and Ron, thanking them for rescuing her and asking how the battle had gone. This calm lasted only until she spied Harry, standing behind her brother with a loving smile on his face.

Happy, grateful Ginny changed before their eyes into a vengeful furious Ginny. Screaming obscenities, the new Ginny tried to claw her way through her brother to attack the startled Harry. Bleeding from several scratches, Ron was able to restrain Ginny long enough for the attending medi-witch to calm her down with a potion.

This same cycle of events kept recurring every time Ginny saw Harry. Each and every time she saw him she would attack him with everything she had.

After talking with her for extensive periods, the healers at St. Mungo's found out that she believed firmly that she had been kidnapped, tortured, and raped by none other than Harry Potter. Nothing Ron or his family could say to her made any difference in her behavior. No matter what was said about the fight in the dungeon, and that Draco was using polyjuice potion to imitate Harry made any difference. In Ginny's mind, Harry was the one who had done unforgivable things to her.

After a period of time, Harry decided to stay away from Ginny, hoping that she would eventually recover and realize that it had not been him.

"There is something here ... maybe." Harry's musing voice interrupted her remembrance of those dramatic days.

"Hmm?" she said distractedly.

"Let me study this for a while, Mione, I'll let you know in a little while."

Hermione was once again lost in her thoughts of those days almost two years ago.

As long as Ginny did not see Harry, or was reminded of Harry she was fine. If someone mentioned him in conversation, she would erupt in curses and extremely graphic descriptions of what she would do to him if she ever saw him.

She was eventually released from St. Mungo's after the wizarding medical community decided that there just wasn't any more that could be done. Harry generously funded other approaches, even to the extent of having Ginny taken to see muggle doctors. Nothing they tried, however, yielded any positive results.

Eventually everyone had given up on finding a "cure" for Ginny, and just learned to live with her "episodes" and other odd behaviors, one of which was insisting on being called "Ginevra," which was her first name, instead of by her lifelong nickname of "Ginny." As long as she was not exposed to any mention of Harry Potter – in print, conversation, evoked memory, or anything else – she was absolutely normal, if a trifle meek and placid. Once her "Harry Potter" trigger was tripped, however, she transformed into a raving lunatic that usually attacked whatever or whoever triggered the "episode."

Her family soon learned, when they were with her, to keep one hand very close to their wand so that they could quickly _Stupefy_ her before she could damage something or someone.

The greatest tragedy of this was that Harry had not been able to see his fiancé, the woman he loved more than anything in the world, his passion, his everything, in almost two years.

Two long years that, once they had resigned themselves to not finding a "normal" cure, he had devoted to researching other avenues.

Which is why Harry was currently digging through this library, after having exhausted the resources of other libraries. And why Hermione was spending her vacation time with him, even though she loved him dearly, she had to admit he was pretty hopeless when it came to proper research.

As he sat at the book and scroll covered table next to one of his two best friends, Harry thought over the information that he had just read. The ritual, if he could do his part, held great promise to be able to restore Ginny to her normal self. The downside was that Ginny was not restored, she would be free to kill him ... and there would be nothing he could do to stop her. And so he sat and thought ... was he willing to risk everything to help her?

As Harry mulled this over, his thoughts drifted back in time to when he and Ginny first got together.

Over the summer after his fifth year they had started writing letters, and she had slowly helped him get over his feelings of guilt, and to work his way through his grief and pain. Of all of his friends, she was the one who did not tell him that the pain would soon fade, that it would get better soon. Showing an understanding far beyond her years, of everything he was feeling, she told him over and over that he should not blame himself for Sirius' death, that he had been tricked by Voldemort, and that Sirius wouldn't want him to wallow in self pity and not move on. She also listened to him as he poured out his grief and pain, and she poured back support and love.

Over his sixth year, he and Ginny grew closer first as friends, then as best friends. Throughout that year, they made time to get together and talk. Harry, mostly out of a need for a companion who was not a friend, and out of fear of losing the friendship that he had built with Ginny, dated a few different girls that year. Well over the crush he had on Cho Chang, he went to the Halloween dance with Susan Bones, took Padma Patil to Hogsmeade a couple of times, escorted Parvati to the Valentine's Day dance, and even asked Susan Bones on a picnic.

Ginny, not wanting to be alone either, dated a few boys casually, continuing for a few months the relationship she had started with Dean Thomas at the end of her fourth year, going on a few dates with Zacharias Smith (ending disastrously when she dumped a mug of butterbeer on his head when he tried to feel her up in the Three Broomsticks), and a few more with Colin Creevy. Throughout the year, and in spite of their casual dating, Harry and Ginny continued to get together and study, talk, practice Quidditch, go for walks around the grounds, or simply sit together somewhere around the school enjoying the presence of the other.

Ginny, like Hermione at the end of Harry's fourth year, kissed Harry for the first time at Kings Cross station as he was about to leave following his uncle. A bemused Harry felt the warmth of her lips on his cheek for the entire ride home, and puzzled his so-called family by the smile that never left his face even when being dressed down for one trumped up excuse or another. Hedwig and Nike (Ginny's gray owl, a present from Harry for her fifteenth birthday) got lots of exercise delivering letters back and forth between Little Whinging, Ottery St. Catchpole, and Grimmald Place. When Harry turned 17, on July 31, 1997, he left the Dursley's forever and moved to 12 Grimmauld Place. The Weasley's had taken up residence there earlier in the year, when Severus Snape had uncovered a plan to attack the Burrow and kill them. For the rest of the summer, he and Ginny had danced around one another, kind of like a moth will dance around a flame ... spiraling closer and then moving away when the heat gets too intense, only to spiral closer once again.

It was on the train ride back to Hogwarts on September 1 that the two of them had crashed into the realization that they wanted more from each other than friendship. Ironically, it was due to Malfoy and his bookends that it happened then. Ron and Hermione were off at the Prefect's meeting, and Luna had dragged Neville off to look for Nifflers in the baggage car. He and Ginny had been sitting alone in their compartment, reading and sharing the companionable silence that had become one of the treasured hallmarks of their relationship when the silence was broken by the unwelcome intrusion of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Malfoy, who was still a Slytherin Prefrect, had started in on his usual taunts about the Great Potty. Harry had ignored him until he turned his foul mouth in Ginny's direction, and started making comments about the state of her worn clothing, intimating that he would be willing to finance a wardrobe upgrade in exchange for certain favors. The look of pain and shame in Ginny's eyes was the last thing Harry remembered seeing before his vision went red. When he could see once more, the first things he saw were the unconscious bodies of Crabbe and Goyle lying on top of Draco in the passageway outside of the compartment, and the shocked faces of some of his fellow students peering out of their compartments. When he turned around after closing and locking the compartment door, he was swept into a tight hug by a crying Ginny. His rage ebbing as fast as it had risen, Harry simply hugged her back until she stopped crying, and then sat down next to her on the seat. Harry never forgot the conversation that followed, especially the part where he and Ginny finally told each other what their hearts had known for a long time.

"... he isn't worth it, Harry. You know he only says things like that to get a rise out of you ... to keep you off balance." Ginny's voice was soft and sincere, with only a hint of trembling left to remind them of the emotional storm that had just passed.

Harry sighed in response. "You're right, Gin. He isn't worth it ... but you are ... and you always will be." His voice grew firmer and more certain as he continued on. "And I don't care if I spend the rest of this year in detention for what I did, I will never ... ever ... allow him to get away with insulting you or treating you with anything but the utmost respect."

Ginny's eyes were wide as they peered into his, searching his soul for some hint that there was meaning beyond what he was saying. "I ... I don't understand, Harry ... he never seemed to bother you too much before."

"I don't care what he says about me, Gin. But he hurt you today ... and I will not let anyone hurt you ever again."

"Harry ... it's not worth it ... it's just words ... they didn't really hurt me."

Harry's heart ached in his chest at the thought that Ginny didn't think herself worthy of defense. Struggling to find the right words to tell her how he felt, Harry remembered how he had felt when taunted by Dudley and his gang of bullies, and how much their lies and slander had wounded him. "Words can hurt more than anything else, Gin ... his words may not have left a mark on your body ... but they wounded your heart ... your beautiful heart that is so kind ... and giving ... and loving ... and precious ... and I ... I ..." His throat closing with an upwelling of emotion, Harry's voice trailed off before he could get the final words out.

"You what, Harry?" Ginny's quiet voice was questioning, yet there was an underlying current of hope that he had been about to say something very important.

Forcing down the constriction in his throat, and holding firmly to his rapidly faltering courage, Harry drew in a deep breath before continuing on. "I ... love ... you, Ginny ... I love you ... and when I saw the hurt on your face and in your eyes ... I ... I had to protect you ... and I will continue to protect you from the likes of him as long as I still breathe." A sudden rush of relief flooded through Harry as the words he had longed to say but had always been afraid to speak came out.

Ginny's eyes opened wide in amazement and shock, and her mouth dropped open a little. Her soft, hesitant voice barely reached his ears. "Harry ... I ... don't ..."

His heart quivered in pain as his fevered mind filled in the blanks in what Ginny had started to say ... she didn't love him ... she didn't want him ... they were finished. Disappointment flooding his chest with its burning acid, Harry tried to make the best of what had just happened, praying that he could somehow save their friendship from joining his shipwrecked love. "It's okay, Gin. You don't have to love me back ... it's just something that I will have to deal with on my own ... I'll do my best not to --"

Ginny's fingers on his lips stopped him mid-sentence. Her eyes glowed fiercely as they bore into his, and her voice was firm, yet loving and gentle at the same time. "Stop, Harry! You didn't let me finish what I was saying. I wasn't going to say that I don't love you ... I was going to say that I don't know what to do now ... now that I know how you feel ... now that I know that you love me like I love you."

"You ... love ... me?" Now it was Harry's turn to stare at her in stunned amazement as the roaring flames of happiness that burst through him consumed the despair he had just felt.

Ginny's voice was full of laughter as she confirmed what she had just said. "Yes, you prat! I love you!"

Harry would never remember how she came to be in his arms in that moment. All he remembered was locking on her limpid, depthless pools of chocolate brown. Harry felt himself moving closer to her with almost infinite slowness. Her eyelids fluttered closed, shuttering her loving gaze, and he felt her warm breath against his lips as he closed on his target. An electric thrill was running down his spine as he felt the first brush of her warm lips against his, when a sudden banging on the locked door of their compartment caused them to jump apart in shock.

Reluctantly, Harry let go of Ginny and stepped to the door of the compartment. Drawing his wand, and steeling himself, he unlocked the door and slid it open along its track. As the door slid open, a laughing Ron and a stern Hermione were revealed. Without any preamble at all, Hermione pointed to the three Slytherin's still lying in the corridor, and snapped, "Did you have anything to do with this?"

Harry didn't say anything, but his downcast eyes and guilty expression said it all.

"Harry, you cannot just curse Malfoy and his goons whenever you --"

The beginning of Hermione's tirade was abruptly cut off as Ginny interrupted her. "Harry didn't curse them. He punched them ... or something ... it happened really fast."

Harry stood mutely as Hermione modified her rant in response to what Ginny had said. "Harry, you can't just punch them either. It's against the rules, and now you will get into trouble when we get to Hogwarts."

Sounding irritated, probably by the interruption that had aborted their first kiss, and also because of the immediate chastisement of Harry without first getting an accounting of the events, Ginny broke in once again. "Look, Hermione, you weren't here so don't go throwing around rules. Harry and I were reading quietly in the compartment when Blond Bimbo, Dumb, and Dumber barged in and began belittling us."

Casting an apologetic look in his direction, Ginny continued. "Harry didn't even react to them at first, he just kept reading. Then Malfoy started on me, but it was like he was waiting for Harry to react, 'cause I noticed he and his thugs were fingering their wands and watching Harry closely. I tried not to react, but he said some very hurtful things and I guess Harry saw that I was hurt and then he stood up in front of me. I tried to stand but there wasn't room, and then Malfoy and the other two had their wands pointed at Harry, who was just standing there looking at them. Malfoy started to say the _furnunculus _curse when Harry ... moved ... and the next thing I knew, the three of them were on the floor in the corridor, Harry was closing and locking the door, and their wands were on the bench by the door."

Pointing to the wands as evidence of the truth of her words, she resumed her story. "Harry never drew his wand ... he didn't even use magic ... he just ... disarmed them ... and then they were in the corridor ... like that."

When she finished speaking, Harry saw Ginny look from Hermione to Ron, and then to him. He had stood there calmly throughout her recitation of events, but when he saw the emotion written in her expression ... her pride in what he had done ... her fear for him ... her trust that he would protect her ... and her love that he only now recognized for what it was, he had to beam at her in response. Harry had resolved to himself that he would always be there to protect Ginny ... not because she was helpless, indeed she was far from that, but because in that moment when he admitted he loved her, he also recognized that she was the most important thing in his life and he would die before willingly allowing harm to come to her.

Addressing himself to one point that Ginny had gotten wrong in her recitation, Harry spoke for the first time since Ron and Hermione entered the compartment past the three unconscious Slytherin's. "Two things, Hermione, before you dock house points. First, it is not, in fact, against the rules to use physical force against a fellow student on the Express, especially in a self-defense situation against more than one attacker. If you read the rules very carefully, as I did this summer, you will find that they only cover the use of magic against fellow students ... which means that Malfoy and his groupies are the ones who were breaking the rules."

Harry's lips twitched a little at Hermione's shocked gasp as he revealed this tidbit of knowledge, knowing that she was going to speak. "Two wrongs don't make a right, Harry ... besides, the _furnunculus _curse isn't dangerous so you could hardly call it self-defense."

"Thank you, Hermione, for leading me to my second point. It wasn't the _furnunculus_ curse that Malfoy was going to use ... the color that was gathering for the spell was wrong. I think it was the _infurnacio _curse. Of course, only he would be so stupidly arrogant as to use that curse in an enclosed space like this one."

Hermione's face paled when Harry told her what curse he thought Malfoy was going to use. She stood there, not speaking and with her mouth opening and closing until Ron broke the silence. "Umm ... not to sound ignorant myself, but what is the _infurnacio _curse?"

"The _infurnacio_ curse is similar to the _incendio_ curse in the way that a muggle flame-thrower is similar to a muggle cigarette lighter." Harry's dry tone of voice brought a flush of color to Hermione's cheeks as she was reminded, once again, of the differences between Harry and the rest of them.

"I don't think I get that yet, Harry."

"Me either, Harry," came Ginny's quiet voice, "could you explain more?"

"If Malfoy had been able to complete that curse, this entire compartment and maybe this entire car would have been incinerated in an instant. That curse is supposed to be used to burn large quantities of debris or trash, and only outdoors ... it is not supposed to be used indoors, or especially on people."

When Hermione finished with her explanation, Harry saw Ginny's face whiten in shock and stepped to her side to guide her onto the bench as her legs buckled under her.

Coming back to himself in the musty library, Harry knew that he would take the chance ... that no risk was too great to keep him from trying to help her. With that decision made, he turned his attention back to the tattered scroll in his hands, and continued to study.


	2. The Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the works by JK Rowling. I, like so many others, am merely borrowing them as a basis for my own work of fanfiction.

* * *

_**Insanity**_

_**Chapter Two – The Plan**_

**November 3, 2001, 5:00pm The Great Wizarding Library of Jerusalem**

The ancient crypts housing the library were chilly and dry. Though torches and candles were not allowed, in case of fire, they were at least well lit due to numerous wall sconces charmed to emit an even, white light with a modified _lumos _charm, as well as magical lamps that sat over each study table. The ancient scrolls and books contained in the vaulted rooms were stacked on close-tiered shelves that lined the stone walls. Thousands of years of wizarding knowledge was contained in these scrolls and books, and Harry had been steadily working his way through them for the past two months. Hermione had joined him a week ago to assist in his search, and had a week left before she would have to go back to work.

"Harry, this is crazy!" Hermione said as she looked at Harry in complete astonishment.

Harry's eyes closed in frustration as he retorted, "Maybe ... but it might work!"

"It's too risky!"

"It's a chance, 'Mione. A chance I _have _to take."

"They'll never agree to go along with it, you know that."

"Even if it means getting Ginny back?"

"Not if it means losing you, Harry."

Two years of frustration and exhaustion were reflected in his voice as he replied to her argument. "'Mione, I can't do this much longer. And from what Molly says, Ginny isn't going to last much longer either."

Eyes glistening with the beginnings of tears, Hermione Weasley urged her best friend not to give up. "You can't give up hope, Harry."

"I'm not, 'Mione, I'm hoping that _this _will work. Look, 'Mione, I'm not saying its not a risk, but it's a risk I am willing to take."

"But it could kill you ... she could kill you."

"I can't go on living without her, 'Mione, you don't understand that living without her is just not a possibility any longer. I just can't do it any more."

Hermione's voice was scornful, almost harsh as she retorted, "So you're going to give up? I thought you were stronger than that ... braver than that!"

Harry's voice held two years of accumulated weariness, stress, loneliness and desperation. "I'm strong enough to take the chance of getting her back to normal ... even if it means I am not there to see it.

"Besides, if I am not there any more, and she _knows _it because she _did _it to me, then maybe she'll come back on her own anyway." The stress of the past two years was etched on his face as they argued back and forth.

Hermione's voice took on a pleading note that went with the plaintive expression on her face. "Harry, please, there has to be another way."

"'Mione, I've looked, we've looked in every library we could think of ... this is the only thing we have found that even seems to offer a chance.

"Look, 'Mione, let's copy this and go back home. We can discuss it with everyone else and see what they say. If I cannot persuade them to try this, then ... I'll keep looking. But if they cannot come up with a _valid _reason not to try this ... then I _will_ try this ... on my own if necessary."

November 5, 2001, 8:30pm The Burrow 

Harry looked around the crowded, familiar room from where he sat in a chair next to the fireplace. "Well, everyone, 'Mione and I found something on this latest trip. That is, I found it and argued with 'Mione about it until she gave in."

Everyone present, Ron, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Molly, Arthur, Remus, Albus, Fleur, Tonks, and Neville, with the exception of Hermione (who was also present), looked at Harry with curious expressions on their faces. Ginny had been given a sleeping potion so that she would not be disturbed by Harry's presence at her home.

Harry stood up from his chair and paced in front of the fireplace while he spoke. "It is called the _Atonement Bond_. It was apparently used by the ancient Israelites when a wizard or witch had been so injured by another witch or wizard that there was no possibility of repairing the damage or making restitution. They came up with the _Atonement Bond _so that the injurer would be forced to make direct atonement to the victim.

"The bond forces the one making atonement into complete subjugation to the victim. From the moment the bond is invoked, until the victim releases the subject, the subject of the bond exists at the pleasure of the victim. Anything, and I mean absolutely anything, that the victim chooses to do to the subject is absolutely legal – torture, deprivation, abuse ... death."

At this last, the room erupted into chaotic noise as everyone started arguing with him at once.

After a minute of listening to the loud talking and yelling that was going on, Harry gathered their attention.

"SILENCE!"

Mouths agape, they all turned to look at the young man standing defiantly in front of the fireplace. Looking at them with incredibly weary eyes, Harry continued his explanation. "Let me finish, please.

"Aside from the subjugation and legal portions of the bond, there are two other aspects of the bond. The first is that the victim feels the emotional state of the subject, their deepest and truest emotions. This is so the victim will know if the subject ever truly repents for the acts done to the victim. The second is that the subject feels the emotional state of the victim, their deepest and truest emotions. This is so that the subject understands fully what they have done to the victim.

"In our present circumstances, I propose that I enter into the bond as the subject, and Ginny enter into it as the victim. I am hoping that once Ginny has irrefutable evidence of my deepest and truest emotional state, she will realize that I truly love her and could not have hurt her."

Molly's voice betrayed her shock at what her seventh son in all but name had just said. "But Harry, you never hurt Ginny!"

Harry's voice was brittle, betraying the emotions that had been plaguing him for the past two years. "_I_ know that, Molly, _you _all know that, but _Ginny _doesn't know that. _She_ thinks that I hurt her ... tortured her ... raped her. _She _thinks that the person she loved most in life, that she had planned a future with, that she was engaged to be married to, did the most horrible, vile, painful, and degrading things to her ... over and over and over again. And that is what has driven her to her current state of insanity.

"In _her _mind, _I _am a demon that continually haunts her. Whenever she hears my name ... or sees an article about me ... or sees a picture of me ... or sees a child wearing a Boy-who-lived Halloween costume, she is confronted by her demon and she tries to attack and destroy it.

"This situation can't go on. You've all told me how thin she is getting, how little sleep she gets at night. How much longer can she last? It's the same way with me. I'm not sleeping but an hour or two at night unless someone slips me some Dreamless Sleep potion, and I'm not eating much either. If this can help her put her demon to rest, even if that means I am dead, it will be better for her.

"You have told me how she has almost hurt people, even _children_, who she thought were me. You have told me how she has to be escorted everywhere lest she get out of control. You have told me how she breaks down or flies into a rage at the least mention of me anywhere, in any form. This has to end. She has to be healed. I believe this bond can heal her."

Rubbing his eyes in weariness and frustration, and wiping away that tears that had spilled as he spoke of the current situation, Harry gathered his thoughts before continuing to talk.

"While Hermione and I were in Jerusalem, I told her that I would do this on my own, if necessary. Further research into the bond has shown me, unfortunately, that I cannot do it alone. For the bond to be established properly, it needs at least six wizards or witches involved in the casting. The more there are, and the closer they are to the victim, the stronger and more stable the bond is.

"I have thought about nothing else than finding a way to help Ginny for the last two years. I want nothing else in this world than to have her whole again ... even at the cost of my own life. I am begging you, her family, her friends, to help me to do this ... to help me try to help her."

Hermione eventually broke the stunned silence that followed his impassioned plea. Her voice was calm and serious, and yet it held a note of triumph as though she were sure that once everyone heard the risks they would never agree to perform the ritual. "Harry, you did most of the research on this ... tell us what you think are the possible outcomes of this course of action."

Harry didn't miss the nuances he heard in Hermione's voice. He stood there for a few seconds, looking in her eyes before he turned towards the others gathered there and began, once more, to speak. "There are eight possible outcomes that I have been able to come up with as a result of creating this bond.

"The first outcome is that Ginny, as soon as she understands my true feelings towards her, is healed. I am figuring that this one has a very slim chance of happening – maybe a 5 percent chance.

"The second outcome is that Ginny, as soon as she enters into the bond, kills me, and is healed when she knows that I am dead. I am figuring that this one also has a very slim chance of happening – also maybe 5 percent.

"The third outcome is that Ginny, once the bond is established, tortures me until she realizes that the emotions she feels from me are real and true. Once she understands that, I think she will be healed. I am figuring that this one has a much better chance of happening – maybe 25 percent.

"The fourth outcome, one that I am not enthusiastic about, is that Ginny, once the bond is established, tortures me until I am insane, but is healed once she has cleansed herself of her pain, anguish, and rage. Knowing how much rage and pain has built up in Ginny over the last two years, I am figuring that this one also has a 25 percent chance of happening.

"The fifth outcome, also one that I am not enthusiastic about, is that Ginny tortures me until she kills me, but again, is healed like in the prior one. I am figuring that this one also has a 25 percent chance of happening.

Harry looked at the people arrayed around the room and stopped his recitation. Molly and Hermione had tears streaming down their faces as a result of his matter-of-factly telling them he fully expected to be killed as a result of the bond.

"I'll just lump the last outcomes together, since, from my point of view they are the bad ones. The ones where Ginny is not healed as a result of the bond. The ones where she continues as she is now. In one of them, I am alive and healthy, and in the other two I am either dead or insane. The last three outcomes together, I figure, have a total of about a 15 percent chance of happening."

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT OUTCOMES WHERE YOU DIE ARE DESIREABLE, HARRY!?"

"Molly, I-"

"DON"T MOLLY ME! YOU TELL ME HOW YOU DYING IS A GOOD THING!"

Harry sighed to himself, hating that he had been lying to his friends and family for the past two years.

"Molly, everyone, look at me." Harry waited until all eyes were upon him and then slowly drew his wand, pointed it at his body, and performed a complex movement as he uttered two words. "_Aperio Veras_."

Everyone in the room gasped as the concealment charms faded away, and Harry's true appearance was revealed. His face was gaunt, and drawn with pain and worry. His formerly brilliant green eyes were sunken, bloodshot, and dull. He was thinner than he had ever been in their memory, even after being delivered from the Dursley's after a particularly hard summer. His robes hung loosely on his emaciated, almost skeletal frame, and his normally unruly black hair was lying flat and dull against his head and across his pallid, sweaty forehead.

When he spoke next, his voice reflected his current appearance, sounding lifeless and dreary. "Molly, everyone, please, just listen to me for a few minutes. When Ginny and I got together in my seventh year my outlook on life changed completely. Before then, before Ginny I was basically marking time until Voldemort killed me. I really didn't have any hope at all of surviving my next encounter with him. She changed that ... she gave me renewed hope and a new purpose in life ... to be there for her ... with her ... loving her ... for all eternity. With Ginny by my side, I felt like I could do anything ... there wasn't any problem that the two of us couldn't overcome ... no situation that the two of us couldn't face together. The day she agreed to marry me was the happiest day I had ever had ... and I fully expected there to be only a few days that brought me equal happiness ... the day she and I got married ... and the days our children were born. She made it so that I could see a future ... beyond Voldemort ... beyond the war ... a peaceful future where we could be together and raise our family."

For a moment, a trace of a smile played across his features, and his eyes brightened slightly as he thought about the future that could have been ... and might be again. Then the smile faded and his eyes went back to their dark, lifeless state as he continued.

"That future is broken now ... has been broken ever since Ginny was taken from my side two years ago ... and the _only _way that I will survive is if I can somehow get that future back. It has been two years of hell on earth for me ... two long years during which I ... we ... have all tried to help Ginny recover ... two long years of the failure of one attempt after another. Two years of my heart slowly dying inside as hope faded ... two years of not being able to sleep because every time I close my eyes I hear her anguished screams of pain in my head ... two years of not being able to eat because every time I try I wind up throwing it all back up. Two years of dying slowly by inches because I am watching her die slowly by inches at the same time.

"That bastard Malfoy knew exactly how to hurt me ... by hurting Ginny ... by destroying her ... he has destroyed me. Of course, I'm guessing he didn't think that I ... we ... would take each and everyone one of those _animals _down first. He probably figured that I would be so grief stricken that I would fall prey to the first Death Eater that crossed my path. He had planned on me being rendered powerless ... probably his fondest dream. As fate would have it, the opposite happened to me ... I became empowered ... and driven to achieve my goal of finding and rescuing Ginny. I became focused on one thing to the exclusion of everything else, including my own survival ... finding her. I guess that is why I was so successful in those two weeks ... I just didn't care about living any more ... I just wanted Ginny back ... and for that to happen _they _all needed to be eliminated.

"And now that they are gone, all I want is Ginny healed. Even if it takes my life ... my pain ... my torture to accomplish that. I've told you what I think will most likely happen ... you all talk this over ... think about the possibilities of what might happen with her.

"But remember this ... without her by my side again ... I won't see another year. And based on your descriptions of her ... I would guess that she is in much the same shape as I. Have any of you tried an _aperire veras _on Ginny recently? She is perfectly capable of casting concealment charms on herself, you know. She is _still _a witch ... still has her wand ... can still do magic. And she wouldn't want you all to worry about her ... for the same reasons that I didn't want you to worry about me.

"So you see, it just doesn't matter to me if I die in this attempt ... the only thing I don't want is to wind up a vegetable ... living in the ward at St. Mungo's. The only thing I would ask of you is that if that happens to me ... that you end it for me. And make sure that she knows I am gone ... if she isn't herself again."

Unable to stand any longer, Harry slumped down into the chair behind him and leaned back with his eyes closed.

His audience sat in silence, stunned by what Harry had just got done saying, and also by his wretched appearance. Several times Ron opened his mouth as if to speak, and then slowly closed it again. Molly sat huddled against Arthur, clutching his jumper with one hand while she held a handkerchief to her face with the other. For his part, Arthur simply sat thinking about the implications of what Harry had just said about both he and Ginny, and held his weeping wife in his gentle arms. Albus Dumbledore, the most famous, knowledgeable, and powerful wizard of the age (next to Harry, that is), sat silently, his almost legendary twinkling eyes dim with worry. Hermione, typically, was the first to collect herself enough to speak.

"Harry, how can you be so selfish?"

Harry rubbed his face with both hands and sighed wearily before responding. "Don't play the selfish card on me, Hermione. I'm sorry if I can't be as strong as you want me to be, but I just can't go on without her. You all have each other ... but once I had her in my life ... something happened ... she became _everything _to me ... _everything _... and I can't go on without her ... I've tried ... I just can't do it any more. I'm just not strong enough to go it alone any more."

Harry pulled himself out of his chair and walked over to the door leading outside.

"Look, I'm going home. You guys discuss this among yourselves, and let me know what you decide. But remember ... take a good long look at Ginny before you make a final decision ... and think about how she is doing. I'm not telling you I want to commit suicide ... if I did, I would just show up in front of Ginny one day and make sure she saw me off myself. I want her back ... I want her with me ... and I am willing to go to any lengths to make that happen."

He opened the door and walked outside, gently closing the door behind him, and then proceeded past the apparition wards and went home to his new home near Godric's Hollow.

It was several minutes before any of the gathered Weasley's and others moved or made any sound other than the quiet keening of Molly, Hermione, Tonks, and Fleur as they wept into the chests of their respective spouses.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Many thanks to my first four reviewers: Anabel28, Silver Warrior, Hermey, and Fantasizing-Lady-Knight.


	3. Convincing Molly

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the works by JK Rowling. I, like so many others, am merely borrowing them as a basis for my own work of fan fiction.

_**Insanity**_

_**Chapter Three – Convincing Molly**_

**November 6, 2001, 9:15am The Lion's Den, Godric's Hollow**

Harry sat in the brightly sunlit kitchen of his home. When Harry worked with the premier Wizarding Architect firm of Pei, Wilbond, MacDonald, and Crawley to design his (and hopefully Ginny's) home, he had emphasized comfort, practicality, and security over everything else. The lines of the sprawling home with two above ground levels and two below ground levels were kept simple and clean. Large windows (made of spell-armored glass) set in thick stone walls let in plenty of natural light during the day. Hand-laid wood floors ran throughout the two main levels of the house, with area rugs strategically placed to soften the surface and provide islands upon which were placed the comfortable furnishings. The colors were kept fairly muted, with earth tones being the predominant color scheme. Splashes of reds and golds of various shades provided focal points and hearkened back to Harry's Gryffindor roots.

When he had designed the kitchen, he had planned for it to be one of the central gathering places of the house. It had smoothly finished golden oak floors, cabinets made out of cherry with a natural finish, and ceramic tile counter tops. It had the latest in both magical and muggle appliances, and was wired, like the rest of his home, with electricity. Fully one half of the kitchen, including a second oven, stove cook top, built-in grill, and sink, were sized to fit a house-elf or a child. To one side of the kitchen was an eating area with a cherry wood table and six chairs.

Being groomed in his training by Alastor "Mad-eye" Moody had left its mark on Harry, and he was almost as paranoid regarding his safety as his old mentor. One of the things he had decided to do was to prevent direct apparition into and out of his home unless the person apparating was specially keyed to the wards. Thus far, there were only two people so keyed – Harry and Ginny. Harry had not had the heart to remove Ginny's access, even though there was a chance that in her present condition she could enter with the intent to harm him. There was also no direct floo connection into the house. Additionally, wards had also been established to block portkeys from directly entering the house. Next to the main house was a sturdily built building that was used as the floo, portkey, and apparition entry point. The small building had thick stone walls shielded against all forms of magic, and two password locked doors that also used the latest in bio-recognition charms in a dual authentication scheme. On the wall next to the doors leading out of the building were two muggle intercom systems charmed to work in a magical environment. One door was labeled 'Main Entry' and the other was labeled 'Kitchen Deliveries Only'. A fact only known to close friends and almost family was that the preferred entrance was the kitchen entrance.

Anyone visiting the house for the first time, or anyone not pre-keyed to the door entry systems and given a pair of passwords, would have to contact the main house using the intercom and then wait in the entry building until Harry or a designated deputy could verify their identity and open the door. Two covered walkways led from the entry building to the front and kitchen doors of his home. Both doors had additional security built in, including a duplicate set of bio-recognition and password charm systems. The system was set up so that if Harry was home, nobody could enter the house without being admitted from within except for Ginny, but if he was not home, anyone that the doors recognized and had the appropriate passwords for the recognized identity could enter the house.

As Harry sat at his kitchen table, he sipped his morning coffee (made with two spoons of sugar and a large dollop of cream) and alternated staring out into the large back yard without seeing any of the fall color that was in prominent display on the trees outlining the quidditch pitch and rereading the information that he had copied down about the Atonement Bond. Dobby and Winky had both passed through the kitchen several times since he had taken his seat. In an uncharacteristic lapse of awareness, Harry had not reacted to their presence in any way. The soft chime announcing that someone had just entered the floo portal went unnoticed as well as the movement of the elaborate wizard's clock that hung on the wall of the kitchen. The hand with Molly Weasley's face moved from the 'away' sector to 'authentication accepted' and then to 'en-route to back door'.

Her shadow passing in front of one of the windows woke Harry from his musings and he grimaced as he heard a knock on the kitchen door. Only family and very close friends knew to use the kitchen door, and after the talk last night he was not really up to facing the lot of them this morning.

Sighing heavily to himself, he got up from the small kitchen table and moved to the kitchen door, drawing his wand on the way (old habits died hard). After checking the foe mirror placed discreetly on the wall next to the door, and casting a glance at the sneakoscope resting in a niche beside the mirror, Harry opened the door. Expecting to see a sea of red, he was a little surprised to see only one redheaded person on his doorstep.

"Good morning, Harry. Can I come in?" Molly's voice echoed the weariness that showed on her face, a weariness born of many late nights spent watching over her daughter's restless sleep, capped by a long night spent discussing Harry's presentation of the previous night.

"Of course, Molly, you know that my house is your house." Stepping away from the door, Harry ushered his almost mother into his home and escorted her to the kitchen table.

"Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee or breakfast?"

Molly smiled in spite of her concerns over Harry's appearance. He was wearing the same clothes as the day before and had obviously, like she and her family, missed out on a night of sleep, and yet he was still as gentlemanly as ever. "Coffee, please."

With a crack, Dobby appeared in the kitchen. "Good morning, Mrs. Molly Weasley Ma'am," he said in his squeaky voice. "Did Dobby hears you say you wants coffee?"

"Yes please, Dobby, thank you."

"Creams, sugars?"

"A little of both, please, Dobby."

A moment later, Dobby placed a full cup of coffee in front of Molly and vanished with another crack.

"He's efficient," said Harry with an embarrassed grin.

Harry and Molly sat in silence for a while. Molly studied Harry's face, seeing him for the second time in as many days without the concealment charms that he must have been using in public for a long time.

Finally, she broke the silence that had built between them. "Why, Harry?"

"Can I tell you a story, Molly?"

"You can tell me whatever you want, Harry."

"20 years ago, a baby did something that no one had ever been able to do before. He survived the unsurvivable, and in doing so, banished the most evil wizard that had ever been. A grateful world dubbed him The-Boy-Who-Lived, but no one bothered to ask the boy what he wanted.

"For his own safety, the boy was sent to his closest blood relatives. Unbeknownst to the world, these relatives, instead of loving the boy as their own, hated him and all of his kind and did their best to eradicate any trace of magic in the boy. For 10 long years the boy suffered under their control, until one day the magical world found him.

"He was brought into the magical world, introduced to new and wondrous things, and also introduced to a public that practically worshiped him for something he had no memory of ever doing.

"He went to Hogwarts, made friends for the first time ever, learned about magic, had adventures, and played Quidditch. He also learned to loathe his fame. And he also learned to be wary of public opinion since he found that opinion to be as fickle as the wind.

"He learned about his supposed destiny, that he was the one that had to kill the most evil wizard in the world or die by his hand. He found family and felt that he was loved and accepted for the first time that he could remember. He learned to love others as well, learned to reach out to people.

"And then, over the course of his sixteenth year, he slowly fell in love. When he was seventeen, he finally worked up the courage to confess his feelings and tell his love how he felt about her. On that day something wonderful happened ... he found out that the girl that he was in love with loved him the same way. That was the day his life changed forever. That was the day he first thought about what would happen after he defeated Voldemort, what his future could be like.

"In the company of his beloved, he experienced joy and wonder and love and happiness. With his beloved he was able to be himself without fear of being judged. With his beloved he learned to cry again, something he had not been able to do since he was little more than a baby. With his beloved his heart soared to new heights, and his dreams became reality.

"Well aware of his destiny, he worked towards the goal of removing the evil from his world so that he and his beloved would be able to have a future of peace and joy and children and family and wonderful lives together.

"And then it all came crashing down. One day he let his guard down and his beloved was taken from him, taken away by a spiteful, selfish boy who simply wanted to cause harm. Over the course of the next two weeks, the boy, who was now a man, eliminated the evil from his world. He killed the evil wizard and his minions and finally was able to rescue his beloved. In the course of the removal, and the killing, the man skated very close to the edge of darkness, and almost went beyond.

"Only to find that his beloved was broken beyond healing, damaged by the evil that had held her so that she could no longer call him her beloved. Driven beyond the realms of sanity, his beloved now hated him, could not stand the merest sight, sound, touch, or smell of him.

"His world was in ruins once again. Desperate to help his beloved, once all known paths had been explored and failed, he threw himself into finding a way to bring his beloved back to him. For almost two years he searched the world to find a way. Two years he spent living in a twilight world where the only thing that mattered was finding the way to bring her back.

"He spent all of his time on that quest, knowing that without his beloved his life had no meaning, the future was ashes, his dreams a bitter taste in his mouth. There was nothing to live for anymore, nothing that could ever replace her in his life, nothing that could ever give his life meaning again."

Harry paused in his tale to take a sip of his now cold coffee. He smiled sadly as he looked at Molly, taking in the tears streaming down her face.

The smile left his face and a sober expression claimed it as he remembered something that he needed to tell Molly. "I should tell you that I've watched Ginny over the past year or so."

A single raised eyebrow, eerily similar to one of his favorite expressions of Ginny's, was her only reaction, telling him that he'd better continue. "After I figured out that it was me causing her episodes, I tried to stay away ... for her sake ... and for your family's as well. I tried ... and I failed. You never changed the wards to keep me out, and so I would use my dad's old cloak and apparate to the Burrow. Most of the time it was during the day ... just to see her ... to hear her voice."

A quick glance at Molly's face showed that the eyebrow was still up, and the look in her eyes told him that she had not missed his use of the word 'most'. "Sometimes I would come late at night or in the wee hours of the morning, when I couldn't sleep, and couldn't bear to do any more research ... I would get overwhelmed with loneliness ... with missing her. And I would apparate to her bedroom just to watch her sleep."

Another quick glance at Molly's face, and the tinge of red he saw forming there, told him he'd better finish this confession before things got out of hand. "When I asked Ginny to marry me, I promised that I would protect her ... with my life, if necessary."

Harry grinned sheepishly as he heard an amused snort come from Molly at this statement. "Yeah, that went over really well ... almost queered the deal. Then she just got this almost evil smirk on her face and she promised the same thing back to me ... and told me that I'd better accept that or else I'd be living with snot and bats on my face for the rest of my short life."

Harry's face lost all traces of amusement as he prepared to continue telling his almost mother about visiting her daughter's bedroom at night. "When I was watching her sleep ... I would just stand there, looking at her curled up on her bed. It didn't matter if I came in the middle of winter or the middle of summer, she would always be curled up into a fetal position ... as if she were protecting herself. Sometimes, after I had just arrived, she would start to mutter and plead with me in her sleep ... as though she knew I was there, and was afraid of me. Once in a while she would have a nightmare of some sort, and would start screaming. I could hardly stop myself from holding her then ... but you always came to help ... you would always come in and fold her in your arms and hold on to her and whisper soothingly to her. I would always leave after you came in, because I knew she was in good hands ... and I didn't want to invade your privacy.

"See, the thing is, Molly ... I promised to protect her ... and I failed miserably. And I've seen the result of that failure ... I saw how badly hurt she was when we finally found her ... I saw what HE did to her ... and I've seen what its done to her mind and her heart and her soul. Her body has been healed ... but her mind and heart and soul are still as damaged as they were when we found her. For two years I've watched her go downhill, Molly. For two years I've watched her hide her pain inside where no one else can see it ... except for you, sometimes ... and me. I've watched her turn into a shell of her former self ... and I can't bear to watch it any more."

"Harry, it wasn't your fault ... we've all seen the after action reports. It wasn't your job to watch the triage area, your job was to secure the main entrance." Molly's face was lined with grief and sorrow, but her compassionate voice was warm and loving.

"I know it wasn't my fault, at least directly, but I still failed her, and failed in my promise to her. I have to atone for that mistake, Molly, I have to do this to make things right again. I just can't go on without her. I'm just not strong enough any more. I was telling the truth, yesterday, when I said I would not last another year without her. This bond is the only prayer that I have of bringing her back into my life. And I believe that the odds are strongly in favor of bringing her back from where she is now ... bringing her back to her family. Even if the worst happens to me ... if it brings her back ... it is a price I am happy to pay. And who knows, I may get lucky and things may work out in my favor for once."

"Harry, I love you just like my other children, you are as much my son as Ron, or Fred, or George ..." Molly's voice broke as she pleaded with Harry.

Harry moved next to Molly and hugged the sobbing woman to him. As he hugged her, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him as well.

"Molly ... Mum ... I know you would never ask me to do this for Ginny ... no one is asking me to do this ... it is just something I have to do."

"Y-y-you called me Mum"

"Yeah, I did, because you are my Mum now, you have been for years, ever since you welcomed me into your home ... and your heart."

"We can't lose you, Harry, you are too important to us."

"I don't want to die, Molly, but I know you are going to lose me if I don't do this, and I am very afraid that we are going to lose Ginny also."

"I know ... I did the revealing charm on her last night ... she looks almost as bad as you do ... Harry, it just isn't fair.

"Life is seldom fair, Molly, I learned that lesson long ago. We can just do our best with what we have. Please, Mum, let me do this ... let me try to help her ... let me try to bring her back. Please ... I just can't face life without her any more ... it's too painful ... too empty."

After these words, tears began to flow from Harry's eyes, and he wept while holding a still sobbing Molly in his embrace.

After many minutes, their tears stopped flowing, and they were able to sit on their own again. Not wanting to lose the closeness of their mutual embrace, they settled on holding hands as they sat in silence, taking a step back from the emotions that were consuming them a few minutes ago.

"I don't like this ... not one little bit ... but I don't want to lose my daughter and one of my sons ... so ... you have my permission to try this bond with Ginny."

**November 8, 2001, 10:30pm The Burrow **

Harry sat at the dining room table of the Burrow. Also seated at the table with him were the Weasleys, minus Ginny who was, once again asleep upstairs, Hermione, Albus Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, and Neville Longbottom. A pot of tea and several cups littered the table along with a bottle of Firewhiskey and several glasses. Several sheets of parchment were strewn across the table. "Now remember ... Fred, George and Ron will stand at the points of the northward pointing triangle ... invoking the bond from Ginny to me.

"Bill, Charlie and Percy will stand at the points of the southward pointing triangle ... invoking the bond from me to Ginny.

"The rest of you ... Hermione, Remus, Albus, Molly, Arthur, and Neville ... you will stand at the intersections of the two triangles and will provide reinforcement for the whole two-way bond, and also for a full atonement to take place."

As Harry had presented his plan, Hermione's had gone into her ''research mode' and her body stilled and her face became impassive. The only signs of awareness were her eyes that devoured every piece of parchment passed her way, and also every expression that flitted across the faces of those gathered at the table, and her ears that one observing would have sworn were swiveling to better hear every word uttered at the table. When he finished, she was the first one to ask a question.

"Why them, Harry? Why put Ginny's brothers at the points of the triangle?"

Harry smirked across the table at her. Only she would ask about something as seemingly trivial as this. "Ginny's brothers are the closest to her both by blood and magically. The seven of them share the same parentage and they are each a blend of their parents. Their magical talents also reflect this blending. Molly and Arthur are only half as close biologically and magically speaking."

As Harry stopped speaking, he saw Hermione start to ask another question and held up his hand to forestall her. "I've placed Bill, Charlie, and Percy on the southward triangle because their relationship with me is the most distant, while their relationship with Ginny is in some ways stronger than that of Fred, George, and Ron. This is important because the bond that is formed from me to Ginny is the most important one for her ... it is the one that reveals my emotional state to her.

"I've placed Fred, George, and Ron on the other triangle since their relationship with me is closer than the others, while their relationship with Ginny is almost equally as close as Bill's, Charlie's, and Percy's. This is important because the bond formed by this triangle is the most important to me ... it is the one that reveals her emotional state to me."

Unable to contain himself any longer, Ron burst out with the question that had been weighing on his mind ever since he heard the of the plan. "What if the worst case happens, mate?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and tried to make his voice confident and soothing as he replied. "Ron, the worst case for both Ginny and myself is if the bond casting does not work and nothing changes. In that case, I don't think I will be having another birthday party at the Burrow. And I honestly don't think that Ginny will make it too much longer after that."

"I think what Ron meant is, what if she drives you insane?" Hermione held on to her husband's hand like it was her lifeline to reality.

Harry sighed softly before looking at each of them in turn, his eyes serious and his face set in determination. "In that event, I ask you to have mercy on me and end it ... end my life."

Muttered protestations filled the air as the others present reacted to this bald statement.

"Look, we've been over this ground already. I have already spoken with Madam Bones and gotten blanket immunity statements from her for all participants, including Ginny, so that no legal action will be taken against anyone participating in this.

"All you have to do is sign these documents and I'll give them to her. She will hold them against their being needed, and if things work out in the best possible way then she will destroy all of them. If Ginny ... kills me ... then Madam Bones will invoke her blanket immunity so that no legal harm will come to her. If one of you kills me out of mercy ... she will invoke the blanket immunity for that person as well."

Tears started running down Hermione's face as she heard her best friend talk so calmly about dying. "But what about Ginny? What is _she _going to feel if she kills you?"

Harry sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "What is she feeling now every time she is reminded of me by anything, Hermione? I'll tell you what she feels ... rage ... pain ... anger ... betrayal ... brokenness ... heartbreak ... the list goes on."

Refilling his glass with Ogden's Finest, Harry took a large swallow and continued. "In the event she does it herself ... well ... she will know ... beyond any doubt ... that I can never possibly harm her again ... which will stop her violent outbursts. I hope."

Taking a second large gulp of fire whiskey, Harry suppressed the shudder produced by the potent spirit and forced his voice to be level and calm. "In the event that one of you has to do it ... and Ginny is healed ... I have written a letter to give her that explains what I did and why. It also tells her that I will always love her no matter what ... and that I will kick her cute arse if she does not get on with the rest of her life."

Fred chuckled as he reached for his own glass of spirits. "If you put that in a letter, Harry, you'd _better _be dead before she reads it or she will kill you herself."

"Thanks, Gred, I figured something like that would get her attention."

Sensing he was getting to the end of their arguments, Harry pressed on. "I've written letters covering the different scenarios that I can think of, and will give them to you before we start tomorrow night." 

"Where is this going to happen?" Asked Remus, speaking for the first time that night.

"At the Lion's Den. I have a portkey that will activate at 7:00pm and take her and those with her to the room I have prepared for this. The wards will be set to allow entry by this one portkey and to those that are traveling with that portkey. I would like Ron, Hermione, Albus, Remus, and Neville to be with me at my home before she arrives so that they can put the restraints on me."

"Why tomorrow night?"

"Several reasons ... first, it is the middle of the lunar cycle so that Remus will be at his best ... second, it is a Friday evening so that she will have all weekend if need be ... third, it must be done soon before she accidentally hurts someone ... you know how lucky we have been thus far ... that episode at Halloween was scary!"

Heads nodded around the room as everyone recalled how Ginny had tried so desperately to curse the young trick-or-treater, and how those of her family present had fought to prevent her from doing so. Harry looked at them all soberly before finishing.

"The portkey will deliver you to the room where the ritual will be performed, and after the ritual everyone will leave save Ginny and myself. I'm sorry, but there cannot be any witnesses to whatever happens between the two of us. The door you will use to exit will seal behind you and will only reopen once atonement is reached, however it is reached."

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Author's Notes:

Many thanks for all of the kind reviewers: Josh Maxwell, rebekah1, friendofdobby, SanityEscapesMe, and Eris, Queen of the Shadows.

To respond to a few reviews:

Rebekah1: The problem is that Ginny believes Harry to be guilty ... that is what is causing her problems. You will see later on why they couldn't just show Malfoy to Ginny.

Eris: I'm sorry for making you cry, but happy that I was able to touch you on that level.


	4. Establishing the Bond

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the works by JK Rowling. I, like so many others, am merely borrowing them as a basis for my own work of fan fiction.

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_**Insanity**_

_**Chapter 4 – Establishing the Bond**_

**November 9, 2001, 11:00 am The Lion's Den, Godric's Hollow **

Ron's jaw dropped as he took in the ominous air of the chilly room in the lowest sub-level of Harry's home. "Wow, mate! Look at this place!"

"Harry, you cannot be serious about this!"

"Mr. Potter, I was willing to go along with this ... but I did not anticipate ..."

"Albus, I thought we were on a first name basis now." Harry chided the old wizard gently, and then turned to his two oldest friends. "Ron, Hermione, I am very serious. You both recognize this room, don't you?"

"Harry, this is where we found Ginny ... where you ... killed ... Malfoy."

"Full marks, Hermione. Yes, this is a re-creation of that room, with a few additions that I had Dobby help with."

Harry had escorted the five witches and wizards into the specially prepared room in the basement of his home. For the past few weeks, he and Dobby had been working on recreating the dungeon where Draco had kept Ginny for those horrific two weeks of her capture and torture.

The dank stone walls were oppressive and seemed to emit an aura of old pain and suffering, even though the room was practically new. Torches were spaced around the walls, providing flickering illumination that revealed the other furnishings. Centrally located in the room, two large, overlapping equilateral triangles outlined in white quartz were set into the dark gray basalt stone of the floor. At each point of the two triangles, a triangular block of gold was inset to form the corner point. At each of the six intersections of the two triangles, a block of silver was inset, forming the intersection. The tip of one triangle pointed due north and the tip of the other pointed due south. Each side of the two triangles was 3 yards in length.

Four blocks of an unidentifiable stone were positioned near the tip of the north-facing triangle. Attached to each block was an iron chain and attached to the chain was an iron manacle, etched with runes. Other runes covered the chains and were etched into the surface of the blocks. A large wooden table stood against one of the walls of the room, and two cabinets stood in a back corner. One wall was empty of all decoration or other items save for a thick wooden door set between two torches, while on the other walls hung a variety of implements, including whips, clubs, knives, pokers, and other implements of torture. A large brazier filled with glowing coals sat atop a 4-foot high pedestal made of the same basalt as the floor. The pedestal was set a yard or two away from the tip of the south-pointing triangle.

After those present, save Harry, finished looking around the room in grim astonishment, they all turned to look at their host. Harry moved to the four blocks of set near the tip of the north-facing triangle and pointed at the chains and manacles. "These Wizard Cuffs have been charmed so that they are controlled through the room itself and can be repositioned by verbal commands given to the room. Before Ginny arrives, you will fasten these manacles to my wrists and ankles. When the bond ritual is complete, Ginny will have complete control over the room and the manacles. Once you have left us here, the door will seal and will only open again after atonement has been reached or I am incapacitated ... or dead."

Remus looked vaguely green, and he swallowed several times before speaking. "Harry, this is ... Sirius would not have wanted you to do this ... nor would your Mum or Dad."

"I quite agree, Harry, you cannot be allowed to throw your life away," Albus agreed in a calm voice, although there was a distinct edge to his tone.

Harry shook his head sorrowfully and looked at the last surviving link to his parents and godfather. "I'm sorry, Remus, but I disagree with your assessment of my Mum and Dad. My Dad gave his life for my Mum and I, and my Mum gave her life for me. They sacrificed themselves for me when I was just a baby.

"Sirius did the same thing when he went through that damnable veil at the ministry ... he chose to spend his life so that I might live.

"I absolutely believe that they would understand that I can do no less than that for Ginny. If my life is what it takes then I will be pleased with that.

"And Albus, I know I don't need to remind you that I am an adult now ... not one of your students any longer ... and nobody has any say in this but me."

Hermione bit her lip and thought furiously before contributing her thoughts to the argument. "We could decline to participate in the ritual ... keep the bond from being formed."

"Yes, you could do that. And if you do, one of two things will happen; I will find some other people who are willing to help, although any bond formed without the participation of her family and my friends will be much weaker, or both Ginny and I will die.

"I told Mum ... err Molly ... a few days ago that Ginny was my life, my everything. In the midst of that horrible war, we fell in love ... we joined our lives together ... we dreamed the same dreams of a future after the war. She became my hope for the future ... my _only _hope. And now ... that hope is broken ... through the actions of a cruel, mean spirited boy who simply wanted to destroy me by destroying her.

"With this bond, I believe that I can help bring her back ... fix what is broken in her spirit ... that to me is worth any risk, any pain, any sacrifice. If I can do this, even if I am not here to be with her, you guys can help her live again." When he had finished speaking, Harry closed his eyes and bowed his head, not wanting to look at his friends.

Shaken by the appearance of the room and unable to contain himself at the very real possibility that he would lose his best friend, Ron burst out talking. "Oh, Harry, we just don't want to lose you! You're important to us, just as important as Ginny! How can you expect us to do this knowing that we will probably lose you?"

Tears started dropping from Harry's eyes as he stood in the center of the room watching his friends. "I'm sorry, everyone. Trust me when I say that I _am _aware of what I will be doing to you all. But I also know my limits ... I know what I can do ... and what I cannot. I _know _that I _cannot _go on living without her in my life. That may be selfish of me, but so be it. I learned very well during my preparations for the war just how far I could go, and just how long I could last in certain situations.

"I know my limits, and I am almost at the end. Every day I wish it were different ... every day I wish that Ginny and I had more time together. The joy and wonder and love that we shared in the time we had was amazing. And the gaping wound left in my heart is all the larger and more deadly because of the strength of what we shared.

"All I am asking is for you to give me this chance to bring her back. I honestly believe that I can reach her and help her. Please let me try!"

As Harry turned his teary gaze upon Hermione, she nodded her head and said, "Okay, Harry. I will let you try."

"Me too, mate ... I just wish, ..." Ron couldn't continue speaking as his throat closed in sorrow.

"I understand, Ron, I wish things had worked out differently, too."

"Mr. Potter, I am an old man, and I had hoped that you would be following in my footsteps as headmaster one day."

Harry looked at his ancient friend, and took in the weariness in his expression and the sadness in his eyes.

"Albus, please call me Harry! And who knows, the future is not set. With any luck at all, I may be ready to follow in your footsteps in a few years." A small smile came to Harry's face as he continued. "Don't forget, Professor Trelawney did say that I would have lots of children, be Minister of Magic, and Headmaster!"

Albus laughed gently at these words, knowing how little credence Harry gave Divination in general and Sybil Trelawney in particular.

"Harry, you were right, your folks and Sirius would have been very proud of you for doing this. I apologize for what I said earlier ... it's just ... I don't want to lose you too!" Remus' careworn face was even more grave than usual as he contemplated the loss of this young man that meant so much to him.

"I know, Remus, I know. I don't want to lose you either. Promise me something, will you?"

"Anything, Harry."

"If I don't make it but she does, please take care of her for me? Help her understand?"

"I'll try, Harry. I promise that I'll try to help her understand."

"I want to show all of you something. In addition to all these gruesome implements, this room contains something very special. In that far cabinet is a special pensieve. Do you remember when I started collecting all of your memories about the final two weeks of the war?"

As he talked, Harry started walking toward the far corner of the room where the two cabinets stood side-by-side.

"Yes, Harry."

"I do, mate."

"Yes, Mr. Po ... Harry, I do."

Harry put his hand on the cabinet door's handle and turned it. "Well, I read a lot of books on the magic of pensieves, did a lot of talking to a few unspeakables, did a lot of work with Filius, and finally produced ... this." As he said the last word, Harry pulled the door of the cabinet open, revealing the interior.

"And this is?"

On a shelf in the cabinet, sat a large bowl made out of a silvery metal. It had a matte finish, and etched into the sides were many runes. Just visible in the bowl was a silvery liquid that continually flowed and shifted.

"This pensieve contains an integrated set of memories covering the time from when Ginny was abducted, through each of the following days, including the day Voldemort fell, and ending when we rescued her ... and I killed Malfoy.

Harry closed his eyes in remembered pain before continuing on with a little shrug of his shoulders. "Although in that last bit it looks like I am killing myself, since he was using polyjuice at the time. Fortunately it wore off just at the end.

"I am going to try to convince her to examine the contents of that pensieve. If I cannot manage that, however, I want you guys to work on her when this is over. After she sees it, you can donate it to the Ministry ... call it 'The Last Days of The Dark Lord' or something ... or maybe 'What Happens When Ferrets Get Too Big For Their Britches'. The pensieve itself is made out of platinum, Remus, so even though it looks like silver, it is safe for you to touch with your bare hands."

After shutting the cabinet door, Harry moved on to the next cabinet and opened its door, revealing several shelves with food and drink items on them.

"This cabinet has a cooling charm on it and is stocked with water, pumpkin juice and sandwiches ... just in case it takes a while."

"You are planning on getting hungry?" Quipped Ron.

Harry smirked at Ron's attempt to lighten the atmosphere. "Not for me, you prat, for Ginny. Speaking of food, how about lunch? I think that Dobby is preparing something special today."

"Harry!"

"Hey, I need to keep my strength up. Besides, you have to think positively ... this is going to be the first day of the rest of my life!"

**November 9, 2001, 4:00 pm The Lion's Den, Godric's Hollow **

After enjoying a delicious lunch prepared by Dobby and Winky, everyone parted ways. Ron and Hermione went off to be by themselves for a while and enjoy the afternoon. Albus went back to Hogwarts to take care of some school-related business, Remus went to his home, and Neville went to his greenhouse to work with his plants. Prior to leaving they had all agreed to meet back at his house at 6:15 to get ready for the ritual.

Harry sat alone in the kitchen of his house reading over his will one last time. Aside from some small bequests to his friends, the majority of his estate was to be left to Ginny. In the event he did not survive what he was about to do, he wanted to make sure that she was taken care of. If the worst case happened for both of them, and Ginny was not healed after the ritual then her inheritance would go to a trust administered jointly by Ron, Hermione, and her parents.

The last thing that Harry needed to do was ensure that Dobby and Winky were willing to serve Ginny if any of these events happened.

"Dobby, Winky, can you come here for a few minutes, please?" Harry had finally gotten used to being able to ask for the house elves presence simply by speaking out loud.

With a pair of small cracks, Dobby and Winky appeared in the kitchen next to Harry.

"You called Dobby, Harry sir?" After many months of effort, Harry had finally convinced Dobby to call him Harry rather than Harry Potter, but had not had the same success in getting him to drop the 'sir' business.

"Winky is here, Master Harry." Harry had been less successful in convincing Winky not to call him Master.

"Please, Dobby, Winky, sit down with me."

Used to this request from their friend and master, Dobby and Winky clambered onto the special chairs that allowed the two of them to sit comfortably at the table.

"I just wanted to make sure that you two were still willing to accept Ginny as your friend and mistress in the event something happens to me tonight." Harry knew that his request that Dobby and Winky serve Ginny after he was gone caused the loyal house elves a great deal of distress, but he also knew that without someone to serve and love that the two of them would not be happy.

"Yes, Harry, sir, Dobby will serve Mistress Ginny Wheezy if he must. But Dobby wishes there were another way to help Mistress Ginny Wheezy." Distress was evident on the small being's face and in his large luminous eyes as he looked at his friend.

Winky merely nodded her head in agreement with her mate; her large eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I know, my friends, I know. I wish there was some other way also, but I can't find one. I am hoping that this will work out for the best, and that one day soon you will have both Ginny and I here to take care of. And one day after that our children, too." Harry smiled mistily at the thought of he and Ginny having children. Children that would have his green eyes and her brilliantly red hair, or his messy black hair and her lovely chocolate brown eyes.

"Thank you for this, Dobby, Winky. I truly appreciate what you have promised to do." Harry, in a move that surprised himself, knelt down at the side of their chairs and wrapped his arms around each diminutive house-elf in turn, hugging them tightly as tears rolled down all of their faces.

**November 9, 2001, 6:30 pm The Lion's Den, Godric's Hollow **

Once again the six witches and wizards had gathered in the basement room. All but Harry were dressed in Wizarding robes. Harry was dressed simply in dark trousers and a white long sleeved shirt.

"Albus, you stand here at this intersection. Neville, you are here. Remus, here. Hermione, here. Ron, you are here at the southern-most point, which will be behind me.

"Remember, you are casting for the strength of the overall bond of atonement, not for either part. You must say your part of the ritual in turn, starting with you, Albus, and proceeding clockwise. I have already given the others their parts.

"I will be here, at the southern end. Ginny will be placed at the northern end. When they get here, the Weasley's will place Ginny at her spot. I need you, Albus, to be ready to place a body bind on her, and maybe a silencing spell as well until after the ritual is over. After placing Ginny, Fred and George will take these two positions here. Bill, Charlie, and Percy will take these positions, and Arthur and Molly will fill in here and here.

"Ron, you will start the ritual off, followed by Fred and George in clockwise order. After that, Bill will start the other part, with Charlie and Percy following in clockwise order. And then it will be Albus' turn."

"You seem to have this well planned out, Harry."

"I would hope so, sir. I have been doing little else but plan since I found this bond ritual many months ago."

**November 9, 2001, 6:45 pm The Burrow **

All of the Weasleys but Ron were standing in the living room as Ginny made her way down the stairs to them. All of them were dressed in dark Wizarding robes, and even the twins had given up their usual bright ensemble for more sober colors for this event. When Ginny reached them, they all noticed that she had not reestablished the concealment charms, and was extremely pale with dark circles showing clearly on her thin face, pale under her sunken eyes. Her hair, though clean, was not its usual vibrant, lively mass, and instead hung limply to her slumped shoulders.

"Mum, Dad, where are we going? And why are all you guys here as well?"

"Well, dear, we are going to take a little trip."

"Muuum, you know I don't like going out any more!"

"I know, dear, but this is important. There is something big going on at ... the Ministry ... tonight. He has finally been caught red handed."

"Who, Mum?" Ginny's lifeless, dull voice reflected her appearance, and was a far cry from her former vibrant, lively tones.

Molly's forced her voice to remain flat as she responded, "Harry Potter."

"No! I don't want to see him! How can you do this to me?" Ginny's distress was plainly evident in the rising tone of her voice, and she was shaking her head in denial as she spoke.

Molly, in an attempt to head off an episode, spoke in very soothing tones as she stepped closer to her daughter. "Ginny, you don't understand. He has finally been found out!"

Panic and confusion were evident on Ginny's face. "Why do you keep calling me Ginny? My name is Ginevra! And what do you mean, 'caught out?'"

"They have finally gotten the proof of what he did! They are bringing him to a special trial tonight ... in a few minutes ... and we are all going ... your father and I, all of your brothers, and you, dear." Molly's voice shook a little as she spun the story along, trying to keep her daughter calm while not getting caught lying to her.

"So, Ron is finally going to realize the truth about the great Harry Potter?" Ginny almost spat the name as though it were something foul in her mouth.

"Yes, Ginny ..."

"GINEVRA!" Ginny's eyes flashed with a little of their old spark as she reminded them of her preferred name.

"Yes, Ginevra, I guess he will finally see the truth." Arthur's voice was calm and soothing as he stepped to Ginny's side opposite his wife.

"When do we leave, Dad?"

"We have a special portkey that will bring us to the secret location at 7:00 tonight ... in 5 minutes."

"Will he be there?"

"Yes, Gi ... Ginevra, he will be. But don't worry, he will be in restraints and won't be able to hurt you."

"Good!"

**November 9, 2001, 6:55 pm The Lion's Den, Godric's Hollow **

As the time ticked away, Harry took his wand out of his pocket, handed it to Albus, walked over to his appointed spot in the overlapping triangles and picked up the restraints from the floor.

"Okay, Remus, it is time to lock me into these Wizard Cuffs."

"You're sure, Harry?"

"Absolutely. Leg cuffs, too, Remus."

Once the restraints were locked, Harry stood motionless with his hands by his sides and his head bowed. Waiting.

**November 9, 2001, 7:00 pm The Burrow **

"Three, two, one, and here we go!"

**November 9, 2001, 7:00 pm The Lion's Den, Godric's Hollow **

With a soft pop, the eight Weasley's arrived in the basement room.

Ginny, upon catching sight of Harry standing in the middle of the room, started yelling. "Where are we? This isn't a courtroom! What is HE doing here?! I ... mmmmph"

Albus' eyes widened at the violence of her outburst, and with a quick wave of his wand muttered two spells. "_Silencio_._ Petrificus Totalus_. My apologies, Miss Weasley, but this is happening for your benefit. Ronald, please help your brothers with your sister."

The six Weasley brothers gently picked up their sister and moved her to her position opposite Harry in the overlapping triangles. Her eyes rolled wildly and her mouth moved as she cursed silently at them and at Harry.

After they positioned their sister, the six brothers assumed their positions at the primary points of the two triangles. Their parents took the two open positions of the six intersections between them.

At a nod from Harry, Ron drew his wand, unfolded his piece of parchment and started speaking in a clear slow voice. His wand moved in a complicated pattern as he worked his way through the first part of the ritual.

_"I, Ronald Bilius Weasley, pray to Jehovah, the Lord of Lords, and beseech His help as I initiate the formation of the bond of atonement between the victim, my sister, Ginevra Molly Weasley, and the subject, Harry James Potter. This bond is the bond of transference and will give Harry James Potter the pain of Ginevra Molly Weasley so that he will understand what he has wrought. May the one true Lord Yahweh bless this bond so that it results in atonement between them."_

When Ron finished his part, a softly glowing azure line formed between Ginny and Harry. After gaping at the line for a moment, Fred continued with the second part of the ritual. When he finished speaking the words of the ritual, the azure line brightened and thickened slightly. George finished the first part of the three-part ritual, and as he made the last wand movement and said the final words, the azure line once again brightened in intensity and thickened.

Eyes open wide in startlement, Bill almost fumbled his wand as he began the second part of the ritual.

_"I, William Andrew Weasley, pray to Jehovah, the Lord of Lords, and beseech His help as I initiate the formation of the bond of atonement between the subject, Harry James Potter, and the victim, my sister, Ginevra Molly Weasley. This bond is the bond of revelation and will give Ginevra Molly Weasley the emotions of Harry James Potter so that she will know when he has made atonement. May the one true Lord Yahweh bless this bond so that it results in atonement between them."_

As Bill finished the first recitation of the second part of the ritual, a second line, this one emerald green, came into being linking Harry and Ginny. As next Charlie and then Percy recited their parts, the emerald line brightened and thickened.

Eyes twinkling for the first time in days, Albus started tracing the complicated wand movements while reading the start of the third part of the ritual.

_"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, pray to Jehovah, the Lord of Lords, and beseech His help as I initiate the ritual of reinforcement of the bond of atonement between the victim, Ginevra Molly Weasley, and the subject, Harry James Potter. May this strengthening help ensure that atonement is reached and that the bonds are not ended until they are no longer needed. May the one true Lord Yahweh bless and strengthen this bond so that it results in atonement between them."_

As Albus finished speaking a dim white light sheathed the azure and emerald lines currently connecting Harry and Ginny. As Remus, Neville, Hermione, Arthur continued with their recitation of the third part of the ritual, the white sheath grew brighter and thicker. Finally it was Molly's turn to conclude the ritual. When Molly finished the final recitation, both the now brightly glowing azure and emerald lines were completely hidden in the brilliantly white sheath.

A minute passed as the brilliantly white light sheathing the twin bonds lit the room with its glow. Between one breath and the next, both Ginny and Harry and the glowing white line connecting the two of them were limned in golden light. With the golden light came an exultant ringing sound. After a few moments, during which everyone stood awestruck and motionless, the golden light surrounding Harry and Ginny faded as if it were being absorbed into the two, leaving behind the now brilliantly golden line between them. After another few moments passed, the golden line dimmed and vanished from sight.

Albus smiled knowingly as the golden glow disappeared, signaling that the ritual had been more than successfully concluded. Sighing to himself at what he knew must now take place, he stepped toward Ginny, drawing her wand from an inner pocket.

"Miss Weasley, once we have left this room will be sealed. Everything in this room, from your wand to those implements on the walls are yours to use. Mr. Potter has been placed in special magical restraints that can be controlled by your verbal commands given to the room. You have my solemn oath, and the word of Minister Bones that nothing that transpires in this room will be punishable by wizarding law. We will leave you now ... what happens next is completely up to you."

**November 9, 2001, 7:15 pm The Lion's Den, Sealed Room **

After the door softly closed, a red light glowed around the edges signifying that it had been sealed.

For several minutes, Ginny stood there in front of Harry, staring at him with a lost, wounded look in her eyes. Harry felt immense fear overlaying another emotion ... love? ... coming through the new bond. After those minutes, she closed her eyes for an equal amount of time, and when she opened them the lost, wounded look was gone, having been replaced by the fierce look of a predator. During the time that her eyes were closed, he felt the emotions coming through the bond shift from fear to anger, from anger to rage, and from rage to a white-hot fury that washed away any other traces of emotions that might have been there. Feeling the immensity of the fury assaulting him through the bond, Harry, for the first time since he had committed himself to this path, felt the cold stirrings of fear in his heart – fear for what might come of this. Mustering his courage, he pushed the fear away – he was prepared to pay the ultimate price in this desperate gamble to restore Ginny to herself – and let the love he felt for her come to the surface and emanate through the bond.

"Well, well, well. I bet you never thought you would be in this position, did you _Harry_?" The coldness in her voice outdid even Voldemort's, and Harry, despite his resolution, felt shivers down his spine.

Harry swallowed against the sudden dryness of his mouth and throat and opened his mouth to reply. "Ginny-"

"Don't call me Ginny! My name is MOLLY!" Her eyes, once so lost and dull, flared to cold brilliance.

"Ginny ..."

"_CRUCIO!!_"

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Author's Notes:

I apologize to anyone who may be offended at the wording of the bond ritual(s).  It is not my intent to make this a supernatural or religious fic.  In this fic I make the assumption that Witches and Wizards are creatures of God and were created by God (please don't jump all over me for that ... after all, this is a work of fiction), just as we all are.  I needed a vehicle to power the bond that was external to the Witches and/or Wizards involved that was capable of judging whether atonement was reached.  My choice for that vehicle is God.

About all I can say to the reviews I have received is WOW!, and of course, THANK YOU!

Thank yous to the latest reviewers: rebekah1, SanityEscapesMe, Silver Warrior, Bottled-Message-Inc, MaraudersIce05.

To respond to a few reviewers:

Rebekah1: The Bond is not a potion and it should show Ginny how Harry truly feels about her. Someone she believes to be Harry has horribly hurt her and caused her current problem. The intent of the bond is to prove to her that it was not Harry who hurt her, which should remove the source of her problem. Will it work? Keep reading to find out.


	5. Healing The Wounded Healer

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the works by JK Rowling. I, like so many others, am merely borrowing them as a basis for my own work of fanfiction.

_**Insanity**_

_**Chapter 5 – Healing The Wounded Healer**_

**November 12, 2001, 6:00 am The Lion's Den, Sealed Room**

The room was silent, except for the occasional hiss from the torches on the walls, the slow, halting breathing of the nude young man lying unmoving on the floor, and the deep, heart wrenching sobs of the young witch sitting on the floor next to him. Fastened to the young man's bruised, raw and bleeding wrists and ankles were iron cuffs connected to heavy stone blocks by sturdy chains.

With a gentle, yet trembling, hand, Ginny reached out and brushed the hair back from Harry's face. Fresh tears ran down her cheeks as she looked at the bruises and lacerations that marred the normally pale complexioned skin. She sat there, arms wrapped securely around her drawn up knees, rocking and watching him breathe, and feeling the warmth of his love for her through the bond that had been established between them over three days ago.

In her mind's eye, she saw scattershot images of the last three days:

_Her voice screaming _crucio_, the sickly light bursting from her wand, his body writhing in pain, screams erupting from his throat;_

_Her hand wielding a cat-o-nine tails whip that slowly shredded the skin of his back, his body jerking with the blows, screams tearing from his mouth;_

_The hammer descending on his knee, shattering the joint, him sobbing in pain;_

_A feeling of discord in her heart and mind as if two sides of her psyche were waging war with one another;_

_Her foot hammering into his ribs, the sudden droplets of blood coming from his mouth as he coughed and retched;_

_The smell of his burning flesh as she burned the words "I WILL NOT LIE TO GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY" into his body with a slow moving red-hot poker. Tears pouring from his eyes, and mucus running from his nose as he fought against the petrifying spell she held him under, and the gag she had bound tightly across his mouth;_

_The knife carving curses into the skin of his chest and abdomen, the blood running down his body, painting him red, tears flowing from his eyes as he watched her;_

_His body, hanging from the enchanted chains, arms stretched over his dangling, bloodied head, wounds too numerous to count dripping blood onto the floor;_

_His eyes staring into hers, green into brown, losing herself in the depths, feeling a battle taking place deep in her soul, heart, and spirit;_

_Rage taking over once again, rage at the love and concern she saw in those emerald eyes, her blood stained hands grasping the poker, once again heated until it was brightly glowing with heat. The tip of the poker searing through his tightly closed eyelids, leaving charred pits where there were once brilliant, expressive eyes;_

_Feeling her soul, once whole, then sundered by untold tortures, battling itself in an attempt to end her madness. Her soft, gentle, compassionate, loving, fearful half struggling with the cold, adamant, hating, raging, protecting half. A swirling battle of color and light as the two halves of her sundered soul simultaneously fought to merge into one and to keep separate and protected;_

_Feeling the steady, warm pulse of emotion coming through the bond;_

_A feeling of completeness, of unity, as the war within ended and the two sides reconciled and became one united being once again;_

_Feeling the warmth of his love for her unwavering through his pain and anguish._

_Hearing her voice whispering apologies to his broken body lying limply on the stone floor;_

_Hearing his shattered voice plead for her forgiveness for his mistakes, desperate tears weeping from his ruined eyes;_

_Feeling his hands gently squeezing hers, despite the pain she knew he was feeling from the broken bones, hearing his fading voice whisper his forgiveness;_

_Her hand, no longer trembling for the moment, gently brushing his tears away, feeling her heart lurch in her chest as she forgave him and released her pent up rage, anger, and terror;_

_Seeing the golden glow rekindle around them as she felt, unmuted by her rage and in full measure for the first time, the warmth of his love for her flooding through the bond;_

_Watching his face, tense with anxiety, relax as he felt her banish her rage and release her returned love for him through the bond;_

_Hearing a clear, clarion-like exultation in the vaults of her mind, and a warm, strong voice declaring a benediction over the two of them as the golden glow brightened around them once again;_

_Seeing her world fade to black as her strength, sustained and driven over the past two days by her rage, left her in the wake of her healing;_

_Coming back to awareness a few minutes ago, lying spooned around Harry's still shattered body;_

As she looked at him, the medi-witch trainee part of her catalogued his visible injuries and realized that all injuries that were permanent or would have resulted in life-long scarring were gone. Her stomach unclenched itself as she realized that not only were his eyelids whole and uncharred once again, but the hideous brands left by her mimicry of Umbridge's blood quill across the skin of his body were gone, replaced by smooth skin, unmarked except for the lacerations and lash marks. Amazed, grateful laughter bubbled up inside of her soul, and she felt for a moment a warm, soothing touch deep in her heart, and knew that Someone had been watching over she and Harry and had intervened.

As she watched, a sudden movement on his part caused her to hold her breath, and she saw his eyelids, miraculously whole once again, start fluttering and his lips open slightly. A barely audible moan disturbed the quiet dungeon. "... uuunnnhhhh ..."

Ginny's heart leaped into her throat, and she whispered, "Harry?"

A deeper groan of pain came from his bruised mouth as he shifted a little on the cold stone floor, his chains rattling. "nnnnnnngggggghhhhhhhh."

Fresh tears streamed down her face and she reached out with trembling fingers to brush back the hair that was matted to his forehead. "Harry ... please ... wake up."

"mmmmmm?"

"Harry, it's me, Ginny ... I ... need you to wake up now."

"Gggiiiinnnnnneeee?"

"Yes, Harry, it's me."

"'uuurrrrttttssss."

"I know, Harry ... believe me, I know."

"'mmm ssss'rrreeee, Giiiiinnnn ..."

"Please don't apologize, Harry ... you didn't do anything wrong."

"... llllooossstttt youuuu ..."

"We can talk about this later, Harry. I need you to drink this now.'

"Whaa' iss 'tt?"

"It's a mild healing potion, Harry. It's all I could find in here."

"Uggghhh"

"I know it tastes gross, Harry. Here, sip this one next."

"Wha?"

"It's a strengthening potion, Harry, to help wake you up a little and focus."

Harry felt the warmth from this latest potion work its way through his system. As it did, more feeling started coming back to him, and he felt increasing amounts of pain coming from his abused body. As he woke up more, he felt a person's presence near him and started connecting to the snatches of conversation that he could recall from a few minutes ago. He also became aware that the emotional feedback he was getting through the bond was radically different than it had been in the beginning. It was warm and welcoming as opposed to cold and furious.

"Ginny?" The healing and strengthening potions had done wonders for his voice, and it no longer sounded slurred, but instead just held the raspiness that bespoke of much overuse.

"Yes, Harry. It's me. I'm here."

"Is it really you?" Harry's voice was wary, but hopeful.

Ginny heard the wariness and the hope, and smiled sadly as she answered. "Yes, Harry, it is really me. I'm back."

Harry sighed in relief. "Missed you."

"I missed you too, Harry." Ginny's voice cracked as a fresh set of tears ran down her pallid cheeks.

"Please don't cry Ginny ... please don't."

"I'm just ... I was awful to you."

"It wasn't your fault, Ginny. None of it was your fault."

"But the things I said to you ... did to you ... and all those other things."

"How much do you remember?"

"I remember a lot. I remember screaming at you at St. Mungos, attacking you, yelling at everyone. It ... I ... was horrible!"

"It wasn't you, Ginny ... at least not the real you."

"And now this ... Harry ... I ..."

"It's okay, Ginny."

"It's NOT okay, Harry! I tried to kill you!"

"No you didn't, Ginny ... not really."

"Harry! I cursed you ... beat you ... whipped you ... burned you ... cut you ... broke your arms and legs ... blinded you ... oh Merlin, I think I'm going to be sick."

Ginny dropped her face into her hands and her body started shaking from the strength of her sobbing. Harry's heart squeezed in his chest, and before he could think about what he was doing he reached out for her. Pain shot through him as he moved his arm and felt the broken bones grating on one another. He also felt stabbing pains in his chest as his muscles shifted to support the weight of his lifting arm and tugged on the ends of his broken ribs.

"Ahhhhhhhh ... shite!" The pain was too sudden and too overwhelming for him to contain, and a half-gasp, half-shriek and a curse escaped from his mouth. Ginny jerked her hands down and looked at him in shock before she scooted to his side.

"Don't move, Harry! Please just hold still!"

Ginny tried to gently shift Harry to a more comfortable position, but everywhere she touched him caused new pain to flare across his much abused body. The slight shifting of his body dragged his torn, abraded, and lacerated skin on his back painfully across the stone floor. Harry managed one quick shriek of agony before being dragged into blissful darkness.

Harry drifted in blackness for a while, welcoming the relief from pain. After an unknown period of time, he started hearing a faint voice.

"... don't deserve ... unforgivable ... I ... horrible person ... better off ... never see him again ..."

Awareness came flooding back in for the second time that morning, and Harry forgot that he had been blinded and so opened his eyes to see the slight body capped with red hair that threw back the fire of the torches. The dark crimson and gold curtain of her hair hid her face, her hands were clenched in her lap, and her shoulders were shaking from the deep wracking sobs between which she was muttering about her worthlessness.

"Hey ... I can see again!" Harry's voice was a little stronger this time around, and the figure next to him froze in reaction.

"Oh, Merlin, Harry ... I'm ... I'm"

"Shhhh, Ginny. I know you hurt me ... a lot. That was sort of my plan. But you didn't kill me. You didn't even really try. Yes, you used the cruciatus curse, but you didn't use the killing curse. Yes, you beat me, but not fatally. Yes, you broke some of my bones ... but not anything that can't be fixed."

"Harry ... I burned your eyes out! How can you possibly say I only did things that could be fixed?" Ginny's voice was touched with confusion at Harry's seeming expectance of everything she had done to him.

"Well, I can see you fine now, so someone healed my eyes."

"Harry, even the best medi-wizard can't repair eyes that have been burned out with a white hot poker!"

"Well, _someone _had to have done it, I mean they couldn't just fix themselves ... could they?"

"I don't know, Harry ... I remember blinding you." Ginny's voice broke on a sob as she remembered the horrible popping and hissing sounds Harry's eyes made as she pushed the poker into them. "Pushing the poker into your eyes ... watching them burn up ..." Her voice trailed off as she remembered waking up next to him and discovering that all of the permanent damage had vanished from Harry's body. "But then when I woke up a little while ago, your eyes were back to normal, and the burns where I had written lines on you were gone.

"Oh, Merlin, Harry I did horrible things to you ... you must hate me now." The despair in Ginny's voice overwhelmed Harry, and he felt tears start down his face.

Simultaneously steeling his voice to remain firm and yet soft, Harry pushed all the love and compassion that he could manage through the still present bond. "Ginny, you know that's not true ... you can feel that isn't true ... that's what this was all about."

Ginny soaked in the warmth of his voice and the emotional heat flooding her heart and tried to sort through what he had just been saying. A couple of words he had used stood out starkly in her mind and her innate curiosity wouldn't let them slide. "What plan, Harry? And what is all of this about?"

"It's a long story, Gin. Can it wait until after ..." She could hear the sigh in his voice, and knew she was on to something, but the fatigue and pain she also heard made her close off this line of inquiry and shift to things that were of utmost importance.

"You're right, explanations can wait. But there are a few things I need cleared up now ... before anything else." Ginny paused for a moment and a frightened look crept into her eyes. She closed her eyes for a moment, mustering her courage before continuing as best she could. "How do you ... feel ... about me ... I mean ... do you?"

"Gin ... I love you ... now ... and for forever ... I never stopped ... and I meant every word I said to you that last day we had." Now it was Harry's turn to pause and gather his thoughts. "I know that you have been through hell, Ginny. First when you were taken, and then for the next two years."

Slow tears started to drip from the corners of Harry's eyes as he gazed into Ginny's eyes. "I never stopped loving you, you know. You can feel that, right? And I think that you still love me ... at least I hope that's what I'm feeling now."

Ginny smiled softly and closed her eyes, enjoying the comfort of the feeling coming from deep inside of her, and trying to push her feelings for Harry back at him. "I love you too, Harry. Even when I wasn't really me anymore ... I loved you deep down inside ... I think it kept me going even as it hurt ... to know that I loved you ... and yet couldn't bear to see you ... or be reminded of you in any way."

Ginny continued to kneel by Harry's body, and locked her eyes on his. The messages they were exchanging burned deeply into both of their souls, and she felt her spirit soaring as she came to understand that through it all, after all the time that had passed, after all the things she had said and done, he still loved her and wanted her. After many minutes, she came back to herself with a jerk and a gasp. "Oh bloody hell, Harry, I make a pretty poor medi-witch trainee, don't I! Here I am just sitting uselessly by your side!"

Harry chuckled a little at this sudden outburst, and then winced as pain stabbed him. "I think we had more important things to work out, Gin," he said softly, "but now that you mention it ..."

The next half an our passed swiftly, as Ginny cast spell after spell to mend what she could of his broken limbs and ribs, and to cleanse and partially close the multitude of lacerations, and ease his pain. In many cases, the bones were too shattered for her to do more than immobilize the limb with a splinting charm, and a lot of the internal damage was too great for her to mend, leaving her only option to deaden the pain caused by the injury. When she finally finished, the traces of the torture she had inflicted upon Harry were lessened, but many lacerations, bruises, swollen areas, splints, and pain remained. Unfortunately, her training had not given her the knowledge or ability to completely heal any but the most minor of his injuries.

Harry, face pale from blood loss, lay still on the cold stone floor. His appearance had improved dramatically, and no longer did blood continuously drip from his torn body. Hastily conjured bandages wrapped his torso, providing some protection to the extensive lacerations left by the whip and the knife cuts.

"I've done what I can, Harry," Ginny said wearily as she sat slumped by his side. "The rest of it will have to be taken care of at St. Mungos, or by someone more experienced than I."

Harry tried to lever himself into a sitting position, but his muscles were too drained to respond properly. Ginny noticed his efforts and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You should stay down, Harry. It will be easier for you."

"No Gin, I want to sit up ... I need to sit up."

Harry struggled uselessly for a few seconds until Ginny realized he wasn't going to give up. With a resigned sigh, she reached out and grabbed his hands gently. "Okay, Harry, okay. Sit up on three ... one ... two ... three!" With a gentle pull, Ginny helped Harry shift into a sitting position on the floor.

"Now, what was so important that you just had to sit up?"

Harry looked into Ginny's eyes noticing that the fire that had been missing for two long years was back, even though the redness of her eyes and the dark circles under them showed him how tired she was at the moment. "This," he said, leaning towards her and wrapping his arms around her neck.

After a brief moment of surprise, Ginny responded by putting her arms around Harry and embracing him gently.

"And this," Harry said softly, leaning towards her while never taking his eyes off of hers. Slowly and carefully his lips approached hers, and he watched the anticipation build in her eyes the closer his lips came to hers. With a feather light touch, that nonetheless sent bolts of electricity shooting down his spine, his lips touched hers. They both slowly leaned into the kiss, committing more of themselves to the kiss until their world was focused solely on their gently touching lips.

Unheard by the two of them, the door to the basement room opened with a soft sigh, as the room, recognizing that atonement had been achieved, removed the locking charms.

Reluctantly, but needing to breathe for a moment, Harry pulled away from Ginny. "Mmmmmmm ... that was ... incredible. I've waited for that kiss for over two years, Ginny."

"Oh, me too, Harry, me too!"

This time it was Ginny who leaned in to capture Harry's lips with hers for their second kiss. Fireworks exploded in Harry's head that rivaled the best Weasley Whiz-bangs, and he again felt the bolts of electricity shooting down his spine. After a few moments, the shocks faded into a feeling of warmth that started in his head and heart and spread rapidly through the rest of his body until he felt as though he were perched in an oven instead of sitting in the middle of a stone floored room. "Mmmmmmmmmmm"

Finally breaking this kiss, Harry rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes that were brimming over with happy tears. Feeling joyful tears of his own trickle down his cheeks, he asked the question that was foremost in his mind. "Are _we _okay now?"

Ginny grinned happily before answering, "Yes, Harry, I think we are."

The two were just leaning in for their third kiss of the morning when the happily shocked voice of Molly Weasley broke the silence. "Ginny?"

Maintaining her embrace around Harry's neck, Ginny turned her head and beamed at the people who had just entered the room. "Yes, Mum, it's me. I'm back."

With a low moan, Molly threw herself onto the floor next to her daughter and caught her into one of her trademark hugs. "Oh Ginny, my baby girl ... it is so good to have you back!"

The rest of the Weasley's crowded around also, reconnecting with their daughter and sister. Separated from Ginny's embrace by the crush, and momentarily forgotten in the rush, Harry sat back a little and looked at the other people standing by the door. He smiled broadly at them all, extremely happy that things had, indeed, worked out for the best.

After several minutes spent sitting next to the crying and embracing Weasley clan, Harry began to feel extreme fatigue creeping over him as the strengthening potion that Ginny had given him earlier began to wear off. The toll taken by the last two years of his life, and the last three days that he had spent in this basement room with Ginny came crashing down on him all at once, and he closed his eyes and slumped bonelessly to the floor.

"MERLIN, HARRY!" Hermione's shriek of surprise got everyone's attention, and Molly immediately rounded on Harry and tried to rouse him from his torpor.

"Harry, dear, wake up!"

Mustering energy from somewhere, Harry muttered, "'s 'kay, Mum. 'll be 'kay soon."

Long unused knowledge coming to the fore once again, Ginny went into medi-witch mode, and took control of the situation. "We need to get him to St. Mungos quickly!" Ginny started to rise so that she could levitate Harry out to a fireplace.

Harry felt Ginny pulling away from him and said weakly, "Gin ... please ... don't ... leave ... me ... alone ..."

Abandoning her hasty plan, Ginny knelt back down beside Harry and took his hand in hers. "I promise, Harry, I'll stay with you!"

"I believe that Harry was planning for eventualities such as this when he left me with these portkeys preset for transport to St. Mungo's." The calm voice of the ancient Hogwart's Headmaster washed soothingly over the agitated gathering, and he distributed several lengths of rope.

**November 16, 2001, 3:00 pm St. Mungos **

Harry drifted in the midst of a warm, dark sea. How long he had been there, he couldn't say. For a while, everything had been uniformly dark and restful. Every so often, shades from his past; his parents and Sirius, most often, had visited him. Unlike other times, when Harry's conscience had tormented him with images or discussions involving death, these visits had been lighthearted and full of warmth and love.

With the inexorability of a sunrise, the darkness slowly lifted around him. As the deep curtain that had shadowed his sea lightened pale gray, and then further brightened to full light, noise started penetrating through to his consciousness. First came far off noises of people walking, doors opening and closing, and people talking. Next came the soft sounds of someone breathing near him, and the occasional rustle of cloth and paper.

Harry moved, causing his sheets to rustle. At the slight noise, he heard whoever was in the room with him gasp in surprise and drop something on the floor with a thud.

"Harry, are you awake now?"

"Mumph," was all he could force out past his parched throat.

"C'mon, Harry. Wake up ... you don't want to sleep your life away, do you?" The familiar voice took on a pleading note.

"Aww, Mum, lemme s'eep!" This time, Harry was able to string a few words together, although not altogether coherently.

"I'm not your Mum, Harry ... would your Mum do this?" The mysterious voice now held a decidedly amused tone, and a warm pair of lips, tasting of strawberry lip-gloss, suddenly pressed down onto his.

"mmmmmmmm ... GINNY!" Harry's eyes flew open in shock, and he saw the blurry image of his love leaning over him.

He saw her hands reach toward his head, and then felt his glasses being settled into position as his vision suddenly became clear. "Good morning, handsome!" If Ginny's smile were any broader, her face would have split in two. Anticipating how dry his mouth was likely to be, Ginny next held a glass full of water up and positioned the straw at his lips. Harry drank greedily, clearing the cotton feeling from his mouth and the dryness from his throat.

Harry was amazed at how happy Ginny looked. It had been two long years since he had seen her smile this brilliantly, and even then the war had cast shadows over her happiness. Now there was nothing dampening her spirits, and her joy at seeing him awake shone through making her more radiantly beautiful than he had ever seen her before. "Wow, Gin! I don't think I've ever seen you look so ... so ... wow!"

Ginny blushed at the praise, before taking his hands in hers. "Thank you, Harry ... I think. I have had plenty of time to get healed up, cleaned up, and rested while waiting for you. Mum has been sneaking food in, so I have been getting plenty to eat as well."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Four days, Harry ... four _long _days." Her face dimmed a little, remembering the reasons behind his long slumber, before brightening back up. "On the other hand, I was able to catch up with my family and get a lot of sleep while waiting for you to come back to me."

"Everybody has been by to visit you ... Mum and Dad, Ron and Hermione, the twins, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Professor Dumbledore, Neville, Luna, Remus ... and a lot of other folks. The twins brought a toilet seat ... said you would understand. Your healers have been keeping me posted, and they said that your condition has been improving rapidly. They said I did a pretty good job with the emergency healing that I gave you ... they said that if I hadn't done that you would have died due to the blood loss and trauma. As it was, they worked on you for almost 12 hours straight before you were out of danger."

At these last words, Ginny's face crumpled in guilt, and tears started leaking from her downcast eyes. Feeling a pang in his heart at her sorrow, Harry squeezed her hands in his reassuringly, and reaffirmed that he in no way held her accountable for what had happened in that basement room. "Ginny, listen to me. I don't blame you for anything you did. I knew going into that room that you weren't yourself ... that something Malfoy did caused you to be the way you were. Nothing that happened is _your _fault! If you want to blame anybody, blame me ... or better yet, blame that bloody bastard Malfoy!"

Ginny's tears evolved into full-fledged weeping, and Harry tried to think of something he could do to shake her out of her present mood. Keeping hold of hands, Harry levered himself upright and pulled her to his bedside. Letting go of her hands, Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her to him in a tight embrace.

After several hours spent sitting together on the bed and talking about the general events of the last two years, both Harry and Ginny succumbed to fatigue and curled up on his bed together and slept.

**November 17, 2001, 8:00 am St. Mungos **

"I almost forgot that I could leave today. I can't believe I almost forgot that!" Harry practically bounced out of bed after the Matron delivered the good news that he was being discharged.

Ginny laughed as she watched an ecstatic Harry hobbling around his hospital room gathering all of the accumulated items that people had brought by. "Don't worry about it too much, sweetheart! You've had a lot on your mind recently."

"You've got that right, Gin. And one of the things I've been thinking about most is ... "

"Quidditch?" She teased with a wide grin.

Harry looked at Ginny with mock exasperation. "No, Gin, not Quidditch ... you."

"Come again?"

"I've been thinking a lot about you ... and me ... and ..." Harry trailed off, unsure of how she would react to what he was saying.

"And?" Ginny was hoping she knew what Harry was talking about, but was refusing to make any assumptions.

Having promised himself long ago that if he had the opportunity he would not hesitate, Harry finished his interrupted sentence. "And us."

"Us?" Ginny blushed as her voice broke to a near squeak from her tension.

Harry smirked a little at the sound she made. "Ginny, I know we can't erase the last two years ... pretend that none of it ever happened. It did happen, Ginny ... love ... and I believe that we have to accept that and move on from here."

"Harry ... I can't ... it was so awful ... I was ... so ... so horrible." Ginny's demeanor changed as the guilt she still felt crept over her, and her face started crumpling into an expression of misery.

Harry stepped to Ginny's side and wrapped her in his arms. Part of him felt extremely distressed by her grief, but another part of him just enjoyed the feeling of having Ginny in his arms. "Ginny, love ... please listen to me ... it wasn't your fault ... you were hurt by Draco ... broken. It wasn't until a few days ago that you woke to yourself again."

"I ... I ..."

"Please don't cry, Ginny. Please don't. I don't blame you for anything that happened ... not for those two years ... and not for a few days ago either. Please listen to me sweetheart ... after you were taken, I went ... crazy ... I guess. I ... I did a lot of horrible things trying to get you back. I ... killed almost two hundred Death Eaters ... I tortured a lot of them before killing them, too."

This time it was Ginny's turn to comfort Harry. "It's not your fault, Harry ... you were trying to find me ... I don't blame you for what you did ... no one blames you ... I mean, you ended the war with Voldemort ... you killed him."

"If all that is not my fault, Ginny, then the last two years are not yours. You didn't ask Draco Malfoy to kidnap you ... torture you ... rape you ... all the while masquerading as me. You didn't ask to be driven beyond the edge of sanity ... to where you couldn't even stand to be yourself anymore. And you certainly didn't ask to be tortured to the point where you became Ginevra and Molly instead of Ginny. None of that is your fault."

"So if none of that was my fault ... and none of it was your fault ... where does that leave us?"

"Well ... that's what I have been thinking about. I think it leaves us ready to start anew. Do you remember the question that I asked you after your graduation ceremony? You gave me an answer then, and I just want to make sure you still feel the same now." Harry's eyes glowed with his love and hopefulness.

Ginny smiled broadly, casting her mind back to that moment by the shore of Hogwart's lake. "Yes, silly, I remember the question. And what I answered." She couldn't resist drawing it out a little.

Harry swore that if he lived to be older than Albus he would never understand women. "Well, then, have you changed your mind?"

"What was the question again?" Ginny asked with a mock puzzled look on her face.

"Humph!"

"Please?" Ginny widened her eyes and batted her lashes at him in a look that had never failed her before.

Harry rolled his eyes in mock frustration, and then dropped stiffly to one knee in front of a giggling Ginny. "Would you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, Ginny, love of my life, consent to have me as your husband, to stand with me against all dangers, to join our lives together for the rest of our lives, to raise our children to be proud and strong and free, to let me support you in everything you want to do in life and to support me in the things I want to do in mine?"

Ginny's giggles turned into gales of joyful laughter as she responded with the same answer she had given three years earlier. "Yes, Mr. Potter, with all my heart I will have you as my husband and I will be your lover, your partner, your best friend, your wife and the mother of your children."

* * *

Authors Notes:

This was a very difficult chapter to write. I kept asking myself if I should write more details or fewer, and finally decided to mention a few things and let the reader's imaginations take over and fill in the blanks as they choose.

I am amazed that I reached 20 reviews, and am very grateful for each and every person that read my story and chose to comment.

Many thanks to my latest reviewers: Eris, Queen of Shadows; Jaquelyne; neilabz; Silver Warrior; Fantasizing-Lady-Knight.

Eris, Queen of Shadows: Yes, I did have to cut it off there ... it seemed to just beg for a cliffhanger after all.

Jaquelyne: Thank you for your review. I am happy that I did not offend you. I have enjoyed your work immensely, especially _Bedtime Stories._

Fantasizing-Lady-Knight: Your review came at an opportune time, as I was just readying the next installment. I hope you hang on long enough to read it!


	6. Back Home Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the works by JK Rowling. I, like so many others, am merely borrowing them as a basis for my own work of fanfiction.

_**

* * *

Insanity**_

_**Chapter 06 – Back Home Again**_

**November 17, 2001, 11:00 am The Lion's Den, Godric's Hollow**

After checking out of St. Mungos, Harry and Ginny made a quick stop in Diagon Alley so that Harry could visit his Gringott's vault where he retrieved the ring he had left there two years before. After Ginny had been found and rescued, she could not bear to wear the ring that Harry had designed and purchased for their engagement. Molly had caught her trying to destroy the ring in one of her episodes, and had retrieved it, returning it to Harry for safekeeping.

That ring, a one and a half carat oval cut ruby, flanked by a pair of three quarter carat brilliant cut emeralds and a pair of one half carat emerald cut brilliant white diamonds, in platinum settings on a ring of 18 carat gold, now adorned the ring finger of Ginny's slender left hand. The fire of the ruby closely matched the fire of her red hair, and the brilliance of the emeralds mimicked the twinkle from Harry's bright green eyes.

After the quick stopover at Gringotts, Harry and Ginny apparated to the Lion's Den. Upon their arrival, they were greeted enthusiastically by Dobby, who bypassed Harry in his excitement and tackled Ginny around the waist. "Mistress Ginny Wheezy, you have come back!"

Ginny gasped for breath as Dobby's welcoming hug squeezed the air out of her lungs. "Dobby!" She managed to get out, "I need to breathe!"

Not losing a bit of his smile, Dobby hastily released Ginny and stepped back. "Dobby is so happy to see you again, Mistress Ginny Wheezy!" Tears started to fall from Dobby's large, luminous, eyes, "Dobby was so worried about Mistress Ginny and Master Harry!"

"It's good to see you again, Dobby," Ginny said warmly after she caught her breath.

Leaving Ginny and Dobby to get reacquainted, Harry went into the kitchen and found Winky hard at work preparing a feast for an army. Taken aback at the frenetic energy of one diminutive house elf, Harry froze for a moment and watched the green whirlwind in action. Vegetables were lined up ready to be chopped by several flashing knives. A large turkey carcass was just lying down in a roasting pan. Bread dough was kneading itself on the large worktable, while several sauces and gravies were stirring themselves on the cook top.

As he took in the scene, Harry was shocked to feel his legs wrapped up in a fierce hug. Looking down, he saw the top of Winky's green head nestled into the side of his thigh. Breaking her hold on his legs, Harry knelt down next to her and returned her hug wordlessly. After a few moments, Winky stepped back with a huge smile on her face and returned her attention to the many food preparation activities taking place. Harry snorted to himself in amusement at the myriad differences between Winky's extremely shy, introverted character and Dobby's ebullient, extroverted nature. Never comfortable with words, Winky showed her devotion and affection to her friends through hard work and ensuring that her friend's lives were as comfortable as possible.

Not wanting to interrupt Winky for a second time in the midst of her preparations for feasting the flock of Weasleys that would be arriving later in the day, Harry grabbed the teapot from the cupboard and started preparing some tea, more to do something to occupy his mind than for any other reason. After putting the kettle on to boil and setting out the fixings, Harry stopped and stared out the kitchen window. Stretching away from the house was a well-tended garden ending at a large expanse of lawn that went on for several hundred feet, ending at a field flanked by a small forest. Beyond the forest, just visible past the field, was a small lake.

The whistling of the kettle grabbed Harry's attention, and he poured the now boiling water into the teapot and left it to steep while he put the rest of the tray together. Carrying the tray into the dining room, Harry set the tray at the end of the table and returned his gaze to the backyard once again.

As he stood there, Harry's mind flashed back to that horrible day from two years earlier when, during a picnic on the bank of that very lake, he and Ginny had been interrupted in the midst of a romantic picnic by the urgent summons from the DMLE. Later on during the chaotic night that had ensued, Ginny had been kidnapped while under his protection at St. Mungo's.

Harry was so caught up in his musings that he did not hear Ginny come up behind him. The feel of her arms wrapping around him from behind, and the warmth of her body pressed against his back surprised him. He turned in her arms so that he was facing her, but rested his hands on the edge of the windowsill behind him. "Harry … something is bothering you." Ginny said while looking deeply into his eyes. "Please tell me what it is so that I can help you."

Taking a few deep breaths, Harry spent a minute or two returning her gaze, taking reassurance from the love and trust that he saw in her eyes. "I was just looking at the lake and thinking back to two years ago … just before my world went dark." Harry felt as though his heart was trying to push its way out of his throat, and could not continue.

"It's okay, Harry. I know things weren't easy then." Shuddering at the memories she had, she continued, "They certainly weren't easy for me either … but that is all over and done with now."

"That's just it, Ginny," said Harry slowly, knowing what he had to say, but not knowing what her reaction was going to be. "Things happened after you were taken … I did things … bad things … things that you should know all about … before we can go any further. I know we've picked up our engagement again, but … I honestly believe that you should know what happened before we go any further."

Ginny examined Harry's eyes and expression carefully. She saw wariness, fear, hope, longing, and trust plainly written there for her to see. Loosening her hug, she took a small step back from him and ran her hands down his arms. Taking his hands in hers, she placed them between them, grasping his hands gently but firmly. "Harry, I don't care what you tell me … what bad or evil things you _think _you did … or _actually _did … _nothing _will change how I feel about you. You showed me very clearly how you felt about me … how much you love me … and how good a person you are … when you risked everything to help me heal." Ginny tried to push her love for Harry into him, willing him to recognize how she felt. "I will always love and trust you, Harry, no matter what. Nothing you have done in the past is going to change how I feel for you now, nor change the fact that I will always love you and want, desperately, to be married to you for the rest of my life."

Harry felt as though he were floating after Ginny finished speaking. He was amazed that she felt so strongly about him – yes, she had accepted his marriage proposal, but he had secretly been afraid that it had been the shock factor speaking and not her heart. The words she had just spoken were straight from her heart.

"Dobby, could you come here for a moment?" Harry's request puzzled Ginny for a moment, but she decided not to comment.

With a pop, Dobby appeared in the dining room. "Dobby is here, Master Harry. What can Dobby do for Master Harry?"

"Dobby, would you please go to that room in the basement and bring back the pensieve from the cabinet? I would go, but I really don't want to see that room ever again."

"Certainly, Master Harry, Dobby will be right back." With a pop, Dobby vanished, reappearing a minute later carrying a shallow pewter bowl filled with a silvery liquid. "Here is the pensieve, Master Harry." Dobby carefully placed the pensieve on the table. "Can Dobby help Master Harry with that room? Dobby can clean out all of the _things _that Dobby and Master Harry put in there for Master Harry." Dobby said the word 'things' with a shudder of revulsion, and Harry intuited that Dobby had been very familiar with implements such as those from his time as one of the Malfoy House Elves.

Harry smiled gratefully at the diminutive House-elf. "Thank you, Dobby. It would be wonderful if you could do that." Having that room gone would make things a great deal easier for Harry and, he suspected, Ginny, around the house.

"What would Master Harry like for Dobby to put in the room?"

"Umm … why don't you just leave it bare for now, Dobby. Maybe Ginny can help me decorate it later on."

"Dobby will get to work right away!" With a snap of his fingers and a small pop, Dobby disappeared from the dining room, leaving Harry and Ginny both standing, still holding hands.

"So …" Began Harry, not knowing where to begin telling Ginny about what was in the pensieve.

"Why don't we sit down, Harry," suggested Ginny with a gentle smile. She was fairly sure what the pensieve held, as she had talked with Ron and Hermione and the others while Harry was still in St. Mungos. After they were seated at the table, Ginny gently squeezed Harry's hand in reassurance. "Now, why don't you start with what is in this pensieve, and then go from there, okay?"

"Okay, Ginny." Taking a couple of deep breaths to steady his nerves, Harry started to tell Ginny what was in the pensieve. "This pensieve, Ginny, contains an integrated set of memories that span the time from the moment you were taken until you were rescued. I did some research with the help of Professor Flitwick, and was able to integrate my memories of that time with Ron's, Hermione's, Fred's, George's, Bill's, Charlie's, Luna's, and Neville's. The charm work merges our collective memories of a given event or sequence of events into a complete picture. You will notice that my memories starting from when you were kidnapped, until I joined up with Hermione, Ron, and the others, are less detailed than the rest. I was working alone until I met up with them, and then shortly after that, with the rest of your brothers and Luna and Neville, so those memories are just mine alone. Also at the end, I was the first one to arrive where you were being held, so those memories start as just mine as well."

Hearing the tremor in his voice caused by reliving, even for a moment, those days of terror, Ginny squeezed his hand again, and smiled reassuringly at him. "And you want to show me these memories?"

Relieved that he would not have to explain everything, Harry smiled gratefully back at Ginny. "Yes, Ginny. I think that you should know what I did after you were taken. It wasn't … nice … I used some … dark magic … and did some other things … that …"

"And you're worried that I won't love you anymore if I know this?" Ginny raised an elegant eyebrow in question.

Harry simply nodded his head miserably before dropping his gaze to their joined hands.

"Harry, it's not going to make any difference to how I feel about you … except maybe to make me love you more … knowing how much you did to get me back … even if it didn't work out exactly perfect."

Harry shook his head in denial. "You don't understand … I …" Unable to continue, Harry just hung his head in shame at what he had done.

"Harry, look at me." Ginny's voice was soft, but firm, and Harry looked up at her with fear written plainly on his face. "I don't think I can convince you until I have seen what is in the pensieve, and then you experience my reaction." She paused waiting for confirmation from him, and he nodded slowly. "Let's get started then, so I can show you that it makes no difference to me, okay?"

Reassured slightly by her words, Harry told her to touch the surface of the liquid on the count of three.

_PENSIEVE MEMORIES_

_Ginny found herself in darkness that was dispelled suddenly as a scene formed. It was the emergency room at St. Mungo's where she had been working to stabilize the many injured flooding in at the peak of fighting. Harry was standing amid the stretchers with their load of wounded reading a slip of parchment, the look of fear on his face turning to icy determination as he finished. After pacing for a few moments, Harry apparated from the hospital._

_The scene shifted and she saw Harry creeping up on a meeting of three hooded and cloaked people in a darkened building of some sort. Harry stunned and bound all three of them before they were aware of his presence. She watched as he questioned them for a few minutes and then cast and held an incendio_ _spell on one of them, burning him alive while the other two looked on in horror. After another minute or two of conversation, she watched him kill both of the others using a _reductor _curse to their heads. As he left them behind, she saw a piece of parchment flutter to the ground._

_A shift of scene later, and she watched as Harry ambushed five dark figures in an alleyway. After subduing and binding them, he snapped their wands and questioned them. With a certain amount of detachment, she watched him burn two of them to death before the others started talking. The scene closed with Harry walking away from five bodies, two charred almost beyond recognition, and three with shattered skulls. A piece of parchment lay beside them._

_Scene after scene flashed by showing similar activities, until she saw Harry wounded by a cutting curse from one of the dark figures. After watching him subdue, bind, question, and finally kill them, she saw Harry appear in the kitchen of his home to find Ron and Hermione waiting. The next day, after a meeting with her brothers, Hermione, Luna, and Neville, the nine of them continued the work that Harry had started._

_The scenes flew past, and the number of DeathEaters in each group grew larger. She watched as not only Harry, but all of the others as well took down DeathEater after DeathEater. She lost count of the number of dead that littered the trail the nine of them were blazing on their way to Merlin only knew where._

_She watched as the nine of them fought a pitched battle against more than ten times their number of DeathEaters, including a tall figure in a dark cloak that had gleaming red eyes. More and more people started fighting beside her brothers and friends, until finally she watched Harry in one-on-one combat against the tall red-eyed figure. Their duel went on and on, with both of them evading the curses of the other, until finally Harry managed to dodge past the tall figure and catch him in the back of the neck with a strong severing charm, taking off the figure's head and dropping both parts of his body to the torn up ground. She watched as Harry quickly pulled a large crystal from his robes, placed it on the body, and utter a long spell over it. A bright light was emitted from the crystal, and she watched as it sucked a dark essence from the fallen figure. When the light stopped, the crystal was dark, and the figure on the ground had been reduced to dust._

_Another shift in scene took she and Harry to a small castle on a lonely shore. She followed as he raced into the castle and down into the dungeons where he burst into a room. When the door burst open, she saw her own, beaten and battered, nude body chained to a table and a dark haired figure standing over her holding a glowing metal brand. The figure turned in shock, and she saw two Harry Potter's, one dressed in elegant black robes, and the other in tattered and bloody battle robes. After a quick exchange of spells, the elegantly robed Harry was blasted into and through a wall of the dungeon room. Tattered Harry climbed through the hole in the wall and stood over the groaning body of no longer elegant Harry. As tattered Harry stood over the fallen body of his foe, the features of elegant Harry blurred and shifted, morphing into the pale, sharp features of Draco Malfoy. Draco cursed Harry and then spat at him, laughing maniacally. Harry slowly raised his wand and sent a reductor curse at Draco's head, shattering it like a ripe melon dropped onto a stone floor. A whispered _infernacio _later, and Harry climbed back into the room where Ginny lay as Ron and Hermione burst in through the door._

_The tattered Harry followed as Ron and Hermione entered the room and raced to her chained body. As he approached the table, she watched as her naked, bloody doppelganger screamed in rage and attacked him bare handed._

_END PENSIEVE MEMORIES_

**November 17, 2001, 3:00 pm The Lion's Den, Godric's Hollow**

Ginny came back to herself in a rush as she left the world of the pensieve behind. She felt stiff from sitting in the chair for so long, and shrugged her shoulders to loosen herself up. The sun, which had been pouring in the dining room windows when she entered the pensieve, was now completely over the house, casting part of the garden into shadow. Looking at Harry, she could see that his eyes were downcast, and he was carefully not looking at her. Sighing to herself in exasperation, she reached over with a gentle hand and lifted his chin until she could see his eyes. "Look at me, Harry," she commanded firmly.

Harry reluctantly looked at her. She could see the pain shadowed in his eyes, and knew that he was waiting for her to condemn him for torturing and killing those DeathEaters in his struggle to find her. Not wanting to keep him in suspense, she decided to act decisively, so she stood up, closed the short distance between the two of them, and settled herself comfortably across his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did so.

"Now, Harry, I want to show you exactly how I feel about you … knowing what you and my friends and family did to get me back." As she spoke these words, Ginny slowly closed the small distance between she and Harry, and tenderly touched her lips to his. Closing her eyes, she tightened her arms around his neck and clung to him tightly, pushing all of the love she felt for him through the bond that still joined them together. After a few minutes spent enjoying the sensation of kissing him, she slowly opened her lips and ran her tongue across his, silently pleading with him to let her in. Opening her eyes just a bit, she watched his bright green eyes go wide with surprise before his lips slowly parted. Closing her eyes again, she slid her tongue into his mouth and relished in the feel of his tongue dancing against hers.

Harry was surprised and elated at Ginny's reaction to the events held in the pensieve. When they had come out, he had been afraid to look her in the eyes, but she had not stood for that and now he found himself wrapped in a tight embrace with the lovely redheaded young woman. As their kiss deepened and their tongues danced, he wrapped his arms around her slim waist and hugged her tightly.

Lost in their embrace, the two held each other and prolonged their kiss. Each felt the warm breath of the other on their cheek as they held the kiss, enjoying the sensations that were building throughout their bodies and hearts. After an eternity passed, they both pulled back a little, breaking the kiss but leaving their foreheads touching.

Harry broke the silence by asking a question that, while he felt driven to ask, he dreaded the answer he might receive. Almost stammering in his nervousness, Harry started to ask his question. "Ginny, I know you said yes … but are you really … sure … that you want to … marry me?"

For a long second, Ginny didn't move or say anything. She just continued to stare unblinkingly into Harry's eyes. Harry felt as though his heart was being squeezed in an icy hand. He was on the brink of trying to stand up and run from her when she smiled. "Are you _truly _worried that showing me the things you did to rescue me will make me no longer love you?"

Harry nodded slightly, still keeping his forehead pressed against hers. "Yes," he said miserably.

"Oh Harry," she said in a low, soft voice, "you have a lot to learn about me. You have rescued me from certain death what, three times now? The first time you fought a giant basilisk and a ghost that was attempting to steal my soul. The second time you fought a small army of DeathEaters and Voldemort himself, and beat them all. The third time you willingly gave yourself to a vengeful, homicidal witch who proceeded to torture and abuse you to within an inch of your life." Ginny laughed throatily before continuing on, "Oh my love, my dearest love. You have no idea of your worth to me, do you? You listen to me, Harry Potter; I will never let you get away from me. You are mine, and I am yours, for the rest of our lives and beyond if I have anything to say about it!"

Ginny's fierce determination in the face of his fears and doubts eased Harry's mind, and he pulled her into a grateful embrace. "I love you, Ginny Weasley, and if you will have me I will be yours forever." He whispered the words his heart was telling him to say into her delicate ear, before losing himself in the feel of her body pressed against his.

He felt Ginny move her head a little, and then her soft words entered his ear at the same time as her warm breath tickling his neck distracted him immensely. "Don't you ever forget it, Harry Potter. You are mine and I am yours."

Harry didn't know how long they would have remained in each other's embrace, when their private moment was disrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the kitchen door. Startled, they jerked apart. Ginny stood up so quickly that she almost fell over, and Harry caught her and steadied her while he stood up himself. Having learned through painful experience that Moody's motto 'Constant Vigilance' was, indeed, something to live by, Harry drew his wand and motioned that Ginny should draw hers before stepping into the kitchen. With a soft pop, Dobby appeared in front of Ginny, facing the still closed kitchen door. The look of determination, and his ready for anything stance, bespoke his intent to protect his mistress against all comers. Winky took her place by Dobby's side, in a stance that mimicked his. Harry, who had turned his head at the pop, nodded to the three of them before opening the door.

The crowd of people waiting on his doorstep mostly had red hair. Two of those present, in addition to their bright red hair, were wearing robes of eye blinding day-glo magenta and lime green. The rest were dressed more or less normally for wizards, in robes of various muted hues. A moment after taking this in, Harry was engulfed in a warm, motherly hug as Molly Weasley administered her affectionate trademark. Ginny had barely a moment to brace herself before she, too, was caught up in a gleeful group hug by her brothers.

After hugs, handshakes, backslaps, and greetings were exchanged all around, the nine Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry settled down at the kitchen table. Harry and Ginny wound up sitting next to each other with Harry on Ginny's left. They held hands under the kitchen table and Harry knew that Ginny was waiting for the right moment to reveal the ring that once again adorned her hand and announce to the world that she and Harry had once more joined their lives together. After several minutes spent catching up on the events of the last day or so, including Harry's release from St. Mungo's and Ginny's trip through the pensieve, the topics turned to other things.

Hermione, ever the studious one asked, "So, Ginny, are you going to continue your medi-witch studies?"

Ginny smiled broadly at her best female friend and replied, "Yes! As a matter of fact, I talked everything over with Healer Findlay while Harry was recuperating. He said that, based on the work that I had done on Harry before we got him to St. Mungo's, I would just need a quick refresher course before I could join the next class at my previous year level. He said that I could take the refresher course any time before September 1st, and in the meantime could get some practical experience working in one of the new clinics."

Harry, happily surprised by Ginny's announcement, hugged his fiancée. "Congratulations, Ginny! You never told me you were going to finish your studies!"

Ginny grinned back at Harry before quipping, "Well, you never really gave me the chance did you? I mean as soon as you woke up, you pulled me into your bed, and then dragged me off home as soon as they let you go, and then took me through your memories. When did I have a moment to get a word in edgewise?"

Harry laughed before replying, "You're right, Gin. I guess I was so happy to see you back to your old self that I couldn't help myself. You always did bring out the impulsive side of me!"

Ron, who had been startled by Ginny's 'pulled me into your bed' comment lost his temper a bit and shouted, "GINNY! YOU SLEPT WITH HA-"

He was cut off abruptly when Hermione slapped her hand across his mouth. "Ixnay the ellingyay, Onray!" She said firmly in pig latin, before continuing in normal English. "You know how hard this whole ordeal has been on both of them, so cut them some slack. It's not like she shagged him with all the matrons watching!"

"No, we didn't do anything like that … although if Harry hadn't fallen asleep so quickly …"

"Ginny, you are so evil! Stop baiting Ron like that." Harry was doing his best not to laugh at the impish look on Ginny's face, and the fact that the purple that Ron was turning rivaled the shade that Uncle Vernon used to get whenever magic was mentioned. "You're making Ron look like my uncle!"

Fred and George, by this point, were practically falling off of their chairs because they were laughing so hard at Ron's expression. Molly and Arthur were beaming as they realized that not only was the happy, spirited daughter they had thought lost forever was back, but that Harry too had recovered all of his old spirit as well.

"So, Harry," Bill jumped in to the conversation at this point, wanting to keep Ron from getting any more wound up than he already was. "What are your plans now that your quest is over? We know Ginny is going to be pretty busy for the next couple of years, but what about you? Are you going to rejoin the Aurors full time?"

Harry scooted his chair a little closer to Ginny's and clasped her left hand tightly under the table. "Well, Bill, I haven't decided about the Aurors yet, especially since there don't seem to be any Dark Lords left to vanquish, and I think I've done my bit of that. But I have this huge, empty house to fill, and I think that raising lots of little Potters with Ginny will keep me quite busy enough." With those words, Harry lifted he and Ginny's hands to the tabletop, revealing the exquisite ring prominently displayed on her finger.

**December 24, 2015, 11:30 pm The Lion's Den, Godric's Hollow**

The décor of the large living room had changed over the years. Ginny had slowly worked her own sense of style and color into the decidedly male environment that Harry had originally created in their home. She, the passage of time, and the births and lives of their many children had left an indelible stamp on the once austere home.

On this most special of nights, the young couple stood in front of the fire crackling in the large fireplace with their arms about each other. This was one of their favorite spots in the house, especially during the holidays. Arrayed on the wall over the simple mantle were many of the pictures that told the story of their lives together. Centered in the place of honor over the center of the mantle was a sizeable wizarding photograph in a simple yet elegant frame that showed off the owners and residents of the home. The photograph showed a wizard of middling height and slender build with short unruly black hair and sparkling green eyes standing next to a slightly shorter witch with long red hair and warm brown eyes. A sleeping baby swaddled in a green blanket, with a tuft of black hair escaping from under its folds was held in her arms. Two children stood to either side of the couple with happy smiles on their faces. The two standing next to their father were older, and shared the same freckles and red hair that their mother had. The taller boy had inherited his mother's almond shaped brown eyes, while the girl had her father's brilliantly green eyes. The boy and girl standing next to their mother were younger, both with their father's clear skin and black hair. This time the boy had his father's green eyes, while the girl shared her mother's brown. Standing in front of the family of seven were two house elves. The male was dressed in an eclectic ensemble of clashing colors and patterns that included mismatched socks, plaid trousers, a vibrantly colored striped shirt, and several hats perched atop his head. The female was dressed in a simple dress of a rich brown.

After a few seconds of posed perfection, the baby in the photograph opened its mouth in a silent wail of protest, causing the witch to jump in startlement, the four children to whirl and stare in astonishment with gaping mouths, the male house elf to leap high into the air, the female house elf to dart out of the picture, and the man to start laughing in obvious delight.

As Harry and Ginny watched their family photograph run through its cycle several times, Harry started chuckling in amusement, soon followed by Ginny. After a few minutes, both of them collapsed to the floor in gales of laughter. "I swear, Gin, I don't know how we got everyone to hold still for that long!" Harry's voice was full of laughter as he wiped tears from his eyes.

"It's magic," quipped Ginny Potter as she smiled back at her husband of almost 14 years.

"Truer words were never spoken, my love."

-- End --

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Author's Notes

I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter posted. It was ready a few days ago, but then FF wasn't, so I had to wait. This is the last chapter of the story (short story, maybe?), since it didn't seem necessary to continue it beyond the resolution to the problem (aside from the little glimpse of the future at the end). I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I would like to thank all of the reviewers to the current date (Silver Warrior; Nimbirosa; SanityEscapesMe; creative reader; Fantasizing-Lady-Knight; neilabz; Jaquelyne; Eris, Queen of the Shadows; MaraudersIce05; Bottled-Message-Inc; rebekah1; friendofdobby; Josh Maxwell; Hermey; and my first reviewer Anabel28) for taking the time to tell me what they thought. I appreciated each and every review, and your encouragement has given me the resolve to keep writing and posting. Now, of course, if I could only get the plot bunnies to get back in their cage until I can finish another story or two…


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